Hiding Behind a Mask
by Quiet Screams
Summary: Without my mask of white makeup, I am Haruno Sakura and nearly invisible. When I put on the costume and mask, I become Lady Shizuka, a shirabyoshi, and no matter what people say, I'll not become a noble's mistress. Especially to one like Uchiha Yoshitsune
1. The World as Seen by Lady Shizuka

**Disclaimer:** Do I really have to say it again? I'm sure that everyone knows that I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. Damn…I said it anyways.

My name is Haruno Sakura, but that name means nothing to anybody but me and the few who know that name. With that name, I am practically invisible. However, when I put on my mask of white makeup and wear my elaborate costumes, I become Lady Shizuka, a well-known shirabyōshi in Heian.

Being well-known in the capital isn't as great as I thought it would be. Men find it amusing to harass you as you walk down the streets, asking you to meet them late at night to get to know each other better. Ha. Do they really think I'm that stupid? There are also the women who are outsiders to the profession that conveniently confuse what the duties of a shirabyōshi are. I've been called a whore, slut, mistress, and prostitute, whether it be to my face or in hushed voices as they walk by in huddled groups. The list doesn't stop there, though. These gossipers have become quite creative with the names they've been thinking up lately. They shouldn't be talking though. I'm not the one who is kissing the servant boy in the alley when I'm supposed to be at home with my future husband who is about fifty years old, wrinkly, and balding. Nope. Not me.

It is unfortunate that, like the geisha, we are misunderstood. Our purpose isn't for the pleasures of men, for we are performers. We have a variety of skills that must be perfected. We also must have a high understanding of social politics within high-class families. Our jobs are not so simple that we can simply put on makeup and tie our obis in front, like common prostitutes do. People can't even imagine how long it takes to get ready for just one performance. It takes three hours! Three damn hours for one damn performance.

However, I will admit that some shirabyōshi have become concubines with a shogun or lord they've entertained, but that is not what defines us, as I've said. What of me? Even if some of my fellow performers feel no shame in becoming mistresses, I've kept my dignity and plan to keep it. Life is already difficult enough. Why add the pressures of pleasing a man who is probably tired of his wife and just saying he loves you so you'll stay with him and be his toy a little longer? Why would you want to be used like that? Anyways, many of the nobles are quite old, and I can't imagine...

I'm starting to get a little sidetracked. As far as shirabyōshi go, I'm very…unique. Most have long black hair that reach past their hips and have brown eyes. However, I'm a little different. My hair is…pink. Nobody knows this except for my fellow dancers because how absurd is it for a Japanese woman have pink hair and green eyes. That's right. I have green eyes too. Just lock me up in a cage so all the normal Japanese people can point and laugh at the freak of nature, and they can call me names like "Pinky". Damn, I hate that name. When I was younger, everyone used to call me that, and I vaguely recall beating a few people up about it. Ah, I remember the times when I could beat someone up when someone said something to me I didn't like. Now, I have to just let them laugh at my expense. Great Buddha, it's tiring to have manners.

There's nothing really we can do to hide it, though. I keep my hair short so I can put on a black wig, but there is nothing I can do about the eyes that everyone loves to remind me about. I would like to remind them that I do have a mirror and can see my "unusual" eyes. The same goes for my friend, Yamanaka Ino. She is blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and a completely Japanese. At least, that is what her family says. Her mother might have had an affair with some European traveler, and Ino could very well be the love child.

Ino is one of many friends, and I have to say, she is quite interesting. She is loud, talkative, and self-centered, but she is a talented dancer. Oh, did I mention talkative? All day yesterday, she was blathering about the perfect attributes her beloved Shikamaru has. Nara Shikamaru is the son of a wealthy deer breeder who lives in Nara. It is an interesting profession, but they are renowned through out Japan for it. If you look past that, Shikamaru simply seems like a lazy noble who likes to sleep all the time.

Regardless, Shikamaru really seems to be the object of many girls' affection. Not only has he caught the eye of Ino, but of one of the noblewomen in Shiga. Her name is Sabaku Temari, and she also has two brothers, Kankuro, a man who wears interesting face makeup and plays with puppets, and Gaara, who has the kanji love on his forehead and appears to be an insomniac. Personally, I think all three of them are strange, and it would be nerve-wracking to have to perform for them. Thankfully, our group rarely performs in any cities in Shiga.

See? Didn't I tell you a shirabyōshi was well educated in the lives of the rich and famous? That sounded arrogant, but it is true nonetheless. Trust me, but if you think I'm arrogant, then you haven't met Hyuga Neji, who lives in Hyogo. His family may be one of the most well-respected and powerful in Kansai, but that gives him no right to be a bastard and treat Tenten like dirt! Who's Tenten? She's another shirabyōshi whose expertise lies in acting. She especially likes that because she can handle weapons when we do performances. Last time we performed for the Hyugas, we didn't act, so we didn't bring weapons along. If we do next time, that damn bastard better have a lot of body guards protecting him at night.

I'm getting ahead of myself though. There are other members of the Hyuga family that are more worth mentioning than Neji. His cousin, Hinata, is considerably kinder than Neji, but nothing is really expected of her. She is probably to be married off to some rich, old merchant and have many children together. In secret, she tells me that she wishes she could admit her true feelings to Uzumaki Naruto and run off with him. I'm not sure how that will work, considering the fact that she practically faints every time she sees him.

Uzumaki Naruto, on the other hand, is the adopted son of Lord Jiraiya. They live in Osaka and are the most untraditional nobles I've ever met. Naruto means well enough, but he's a complete idiot. He makes me wonder if he was dropped on his head when he was a child. He's loud and annoying, and like Ino, has abnormal blue eyes and spiky blonde hair. He likes to babble on about becoming the emperor of Japan or something ridiculous like that. That'll happen the day Neji forgets to do his hair. Lord Jiraiya…he's…well…he's an old pervert with too many concubines to count and drinks more than any lord I've ever seen. There are also some rumors that he is currently writing some risqué and erotic books, but I have no idea who would read them, let alone buy them. He is currently trying to catch the eye of Lady Tsunade, who is my idol. Good luck with that, you old pervert.

Lady Tsunade is one of the most infamous women in all Japan. Why infamous? She is one of the best doctors in all of Japan. Still unsure why she is infamous? Simply put, she is a woman in a man's profession and has made a name for herself without the help of a man or her family. She is living her own life the way she wants to and not caring about the opinions of others. Still, no matter how many people say that she is a disgrace to women, people travel far and wide to try and have her treat them.

Hmm…did I forget any one else? Ah, yeah, there is the son of the wealthy silk merchant, Aburame Shino of Mie, but he's creepy. So are the silk worms. He likes to keep to himself, so there really isn't any gossip surrounding that family. And…there is the Inuzuka Kiba from Wakayama. His family breeds matagi inu, which are used by matagi for hunting and sometimes for dog fighting by samurai.

Then, finally, there is Heian's very own Uchiha Yoshitsune. If I remember correctly, he is called by his childhood name, Sasuke, when not in public. If you ask me, I think that's a stupider name than Yoshitsune. Yet somehow, he has not only captured the hearts of the women in Heian with his cold and arrogant demeanor, but it seems almost every woman in Japan dreams of him. I honestly have no idea why. He seems like a total ass to me. I think it must run in the family because Uchiha Yoritomo, his older brother, is exactly the same. Well, almost, because he isn't as adored by the female population as his brother.

It makes me cringe every time I think of having to be in close contact with these pompous nobles. I don't know how many times I have wanted to slap one of those arrogant, high-class asses. Whenever I do want to, I just have to remind myself of Kurenai-sensei's unpleased stare with her blood-red eyes or Anko-sensei's wooden paddle. So, I just smile and keep doing my job, not being too friendly or too distant.

Kurenai-sensei and Anko-sensei are the only reason I'm able to be a shirabyōshi. Kurenai-sensei is the one who taught me everything I know about dancing, music, manners, literature and basically how to be a proper shirabyōshi. Anko-sensei is the opposite of Kurenai-sensei's collected and graceful nature. Anko-sensei is noisy and eccentric and is terrifying when she is angry. Don't get me wrong because Kurenai-sensei is scary when you make her mad but in a more quiet way. Anyway, Anko-sensei is the one who taught me how to act, use a sword, tell a good story, and even how to play cards.

With all these skills, I seem like I am one of those noblewomen I hate so much. In reality, it is mostly true. While I will never be on the same level as them, as a shirabyōshi, I'm considered a high class performer. So, in a manner of speaking, I hate my own kind. Well, I can pretend we are completely different, can't I? I can, however, promise myself one thing. I will never be a mistress to these arrogant and careless nobles, especially one like Uchiha Yoshitsune.

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A/N: Okay, I know the chapter seems kind of pointless. I promise that if people actually like this, I will get into the plot. This is just setting everything up and giving people information. Please review and tell me what you think. Thanks. 


	2. A Surprise Solo Performance

I'd like to thank **katie marshall** (yay! I get a candy bar! lol), **fallencherryblossom**, **bo0bahh** (I did just enough research so I could be descriptive enough in my writing. It reminded me of school too much to do a lot. lol), **Aiyo Rei**, **les-liaisons-dangereuses**, **Cue-Haiku-Sash**, **oddity**, and **Oo.cherry-chan.oO** for the reviews. I really appreciate all of them. Now, on to the story!…oh, right…disclaimer. Damn.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

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"Sakura! Help me with my wig!" Ino pleads blaringly, waving her long black wig in my face. "My hair keeps showing through it!"

"Ino, are you trying to make me deaf?" I say as I try to put red paint on my lips.

"Sakura…" Her voice becomes a pathetic whimper, but I ignore it and concentrate solely on perfectly applying the red liquid to my lips.

"SAKURA!" Tenten bellows from the next room.

A great tragedy occurs. My hand slips, and the brush slides across my cheek, marring my snow white mask. I stare at myself in the mirror blankly, not able to believe what I just did. Slowly, I pull my hand away from my cheek, and my grip on the brush becomes considerably tighter.

"BUDDHA DAMN IT ALL!" I yell angrily as I throw the brush on the table, splattering the lip paint on the wooden surface.

"Watch the language, _Lady Shizuka_," Kurenai-sensei reminds me as she walks by with someone's costume. The emphasis she put on the words Lady Shizuka makes me cringe.

I snarl at her, distorting my face that now looks like a clown due to the makeup. I snatch a towel hanging on a nearby screen and vigorously wipe my face. With a good scrub, my face is back to being a clean canvas that I have to repaint. I really hate getting ready for a performance.

I grab the rice powder off the vanity table and smear it on my cheeks. As I cover more of my face, I glance at Ino in the mirror and see she is still standing there, watching me pitifully. I put down the powder, even though my face is only half white, and walk over to her. I grab the wig from her and neatly place it on her head, making sure to tuck in any loose blonde strands that managed to slip out.

"Thanks, Sakura!" Ino says happily as she sashays out my door.

I sigh and continue to put the thick base on my face until it is pure white again. I honestly hate being a perfectionist at times like these. I pick up the formerly discarded brush and take a deep breath. With all the concentration I could muster, I delicately apply the liquid to my lips, dying them a brilliant red. This time I get it right. The paint is in the perfect shape of my mouth. _Success!_ I add the final touch by painting repainting eyebrows a little higher on the forehead then where my actual eyebrows are.

"SAKURA!" Tenten tries a second time to get my attention. I hold back the urge to remind her that she doesn't have to be so loud. The walls are made of rice paper, and you can hear a grain of rice drop on the other side of one. That makes this place the perfect place for a shirabyōshi to live. Why? One reason. It's really hard to have sex with a man without waking the entire house. I haven't tried it, but it has been attempted before. People can be so stupid sometimes.

Taking my wig with me, I go to Tenten's room and find her desperately looking around her room. I look at her quizzically, but she is so frustrated that she can't speak. She makes some frantic slashing and stabbing motions with her arms before dropping them again as she looks around more. After careful thought, I realize that she lost her tachi. I gaze around the room and find it resting against the wall by her privacy screen. Shaking my head, I point to it before turning to her mirror to put on my wig.

With a giggle, Tenten picks up her tachi and gives it an experimental swing before tucking it into her obi. "Thanks, Sakura. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Neither do I," I tease as I make the final adjustments to my wig.

In feigned outrage, Tenten swats at me with her hand fan, and I dodge it while giving her a playful push. Tenten tumbles to the ground but somehow manages not to ruin costume. I stifle a laugh as she glares at me from the floor and saunter out the door, sticking my tongue out over my shoulder before I disappear from her sight. I hear her outrage as I walk down the hall and allow myself to laugh out loud. Hearing me, Tenten let's out a stream of curses which gets her a sharp reprimand from Kurenai-sensei.

As I touch the door to my room to enter, a girl named Akiho runs by me, searching for Nagami so she can borrow perfume. _Damn, I'm out of perfume, too!_ Now we know why Buddha is so damn happy when people create statues of him. He thinks it's hilarious when he makes my life a living hell.

"SAYUKI!" I yell, imitating Tenten's bellow.

"I'm here, Sakura!" Sayuki calls from Nagami's room.

Hurrying over there, I find a bunch of girls surrounding Nagami, begging for her to help with their hair. I find Sayuki in the midst of them all, and after some effort, I manage to catch the girl's eye. As I do, I beckon her over with a wave of my hand. Pushing through the sea of frantic girls, she makes her way over to me, smiling tiredly.

"If it's not too much trouble, can I use your perfume?" I ask a little sheepishly, slightly ashamed that I'm asking her for a favor when she is so busy.

"Of course," she says cheerfully. "I'll be back in a second."

Before I can respond, Nagami calls out to me desperately. "Sakura, will you help me with some of these girls' hair?"

"Sure," I say as I tap the nearest girl on the shoulder. "I'll help you."

"Oh, thank you!" She smiles gratefully at me, causing me to grin. "Things are just so hectic and…"

"It's not a problem," I reply as I run my fingers through the girl's long hair, trying to undo all the tangles.

When I finally manage to pull her smoothened hair into a pony tail with a takenaga, Sayuki comes bursting into the room with a bottle of jasmine perfume in her hand. Now finished tying the takenaga, I pat the girl lightly on the shoulder, indicating that I'm done. I hear her thank me as I turn to grab the bottle out of Sayuki's hand.

"Thanks for going to all the trouble, Sayuki."

"It was nothing, Sakura," she calls as she disappears again into the crowd of girls.

"Fifteen minutes, my dears!" Anko-sensei alerts everyone with an ear-splitting scream.

Spraying the perfume into the air, I walk quickly through the mist. I decide not to try and thank Sayuki as I put the perfume down on the nearest table. Getting her attention again with that cluster surrounding her would be a nightmare.

Hurrying back to my room, I hurriedly pull on my red hakama, doing my best to be efficient but not wrinkle it. Anko-sensei is screeching that there is now ten more minutes. I grab my suikan, and after a good fight with it, I pull it on and secure it with my obi. Snatching my hand fan, tachi, shoes, and hat, I walk briskly to the door. That's the great thing about wearing a man's outfit for a performance, the practicality. _I can actually move! Oh, and the shoes! Great Buddha, they are so comfortable!_

"Put the rest of your costume on, Sakura!" Kurenai-sensei orders as she goes by me.

Sighing, I cram my hat on my head, securing it so it won't fall off. I tuck the tachi and fan into my obi, but I look despairingly at my shoes. With a grunt, I begin hopping on one foot as I try to slide my foot into my shoes and move forward at the same time. I succeed and manage to do so without falling flat on my face, which would have meant ruining my makeup a second time. I switch feet and repeat the process, hopping, grunting, and balancing.

"Maybe you should join the circus instead of being a shirabyōshi. With that pink hair, you'd make a perfect clown." Anko-sensei cackles as she leans leisurely at the door.

"I hope your horse bucks you off, and you land in a pile of sh…"

"Language!"

I roll my eyes at the rebuke, and Anko-sensei's eyes are full of laughter. Hiking up my hakama, I march out the door to the stables, looking surly and undignified. As I enter, I notice a few other girls were standing by their horses, but most were still trying to get ready. I go down the line of stalls until I reach the third to the last one. There, I find my horse, Yuki, lazily chewing at some hay in his stall.

I give her a sharp cluck, and he takes a few steps forward, still happily munching at his hay. Grinning, I reach out and gently stroke Yuki's white neck. Yuki, unlike many of the horses that we have here, is a true white. Most of the other horses are grays that used to be dark-haired, but their coats have now faded to a whitish color.

"Get those horses out of here!" barks Anko-sensei. "Let's move, ladies."

Obediently, I unlatch the chains on the stall and grab Yuki's bridle in my fingers. I lead him out with the rest of the girls to mount up, bringing him to an open space that isn't too close to any of the horses. Sticking my foot in the stirrup, I step up and swing my leg over Yuki's large back. I find the other stirrup and shift my weight so that I will be comfortable. The ride is short, but we have to have perfect posture the whole way.

"Sound off!" Anko-sensei yells as she climbs up into the saddle with ease.

"Aiko."

"Akiho."

"Amaya"

"Chiyo."

"Etsuko."

"Hanako."

"Ino."

"Junko."

"Kaede."

"Kameko."

"Katsumi."

"Manami."

"Michiko."

"Mieko."

"Nagami."

"Rika."

"Sakura."

"Sayuki."

"Takako."

"Tenten."

"Toshiko."

"Umeko."

"Yasu."

"Yoko."

"Yumiko."

"All right, that's all twenty-five. Adding me and Kurenai, that's twenty-seven. Perfect!"

"You're coming with us?" Takako asks Anko-sensei.

"The emperor requested that we send every dancer," Anko-sensei replies matter-of-factly.

"Have you forgotten that we are shirabyōshi as well? It seems that you think that we are only teachers." Kurenai-sensei speculates this as she trots her horse to Anko-sensei.

Takako looks down embarrassedly at her horse's mane to hide a blush that is creeping up her face. Satisfaction fills me, and I can't help but smirk. _The bitch gets what she deserves._ Kurenai-sensei glances over at me, causing me to shiver. _Great, not only does she have exceptional hearing, but it appears she can read minds._

I get along with every shirabyōshi as long as we are in front of an audience. Once their eyes are off of us, a group of girls do their best to make the rest of us miserable. This group includes: Takako, Katsumi, Mieko, Rika, and Yasu. They are known by the rest of us as the UYFA (Uchiha Yoshitsune Fan Club). Their bitchiness and obsession with Uchiha Yoshitsune has earned them the hatred of the rest of us in the house.

"All right, my dears, let's get these lazy fleabags going!" Anko-sensei whoops as she leads the group out into the streets of Heian. We follow her in the same order as when we called out our names. When every one was on the street, Kurenai-sensei dutifully brings up the back of the procession.

As our horses march solemnly through Heian to the emperor's palace, there are mixed reactions from pedestrians who had been normally going about their day until we showed up. Some stand in awe at the regality of it all, while others look in disgust, feeling it absurd that we disturbed their lives with our showy procession. Young women eye us suspiciously and gather together in small huddles to gossip. I barely catch the word "whore" being used in a sentence multiple times. The young men whistle at us and laugh heartily at each other's dirty jokes.

_The torture that I must endure! Buddha, have you no mercy?_ I am overly dramatic a lot of the time, and that is putting it lightly.

Somehow, I accomplish my goal of not being effected by the constant stares and whispers, and I find myself in front of the emperor's palace. Since I'm in the middle, my horse just follows the one in front of it, so the only person who has to control her horse is Anko-sensei. Not having to worry about steering, I've gotten into this habit of getting lost in my own little world so I can avoid the eyes of those on the sides of the street.

I look down as a hostler tugs at my reins. Shaking my head slightly to clear my head, I dismount Yuki and hand the hostler my reins with a nod. Normally, I would smile, but when I have my mask on, smiling is an action I don't know.

With Anko-sensei leading the way, we follow in a single-file line through the large double doors that have guards standing menacingly at each side. I've always wanted bother one until it moved, but that is what Sakura would do, not Lady Shizuka. Sighing inwardly, I keep walking forward, my eyes basically glued to the back of Rika's head.

After what seemed like a million hallways later, I stand in a room that is filled with seventy-five other shirabyōshi. We are all to dance for the emperor, in hopes that our dancing will bring rain. It's been unusually dry this month, and the emperor and other lords have been worried about it. I'm not sure how it will help. A hundred Buddhist priests came here before us, chanting prayers to Buddha for rain, but they failed. How is dancing supposed to help?

A nervous personal assistant of the emperor comes scurrying through a small door. He whimpers as he beckons us nervously. _All right, let's do this. _I follow the rest of the women to the door, but with much pushing and shoving happening, I find myself the very last one in line. _Why do I have to be last? That's the worst spot._

An outstretched arm stops me from passing through the doorway. It belongs to the nervous personal assistant. He shakes his head, not giving me the slightest hint as to why I have to stand here alone. The steady music begins to play, and I start to panic. _Why am I not out there?!_

I watch all the other girls dance to the strong, masculine rhythm. Even though they've never practiced together before, their steps are synchronized, and they move as one being. I jealously watch them from the room, still being stopped by the assistant from running out there and joining them.

The song goes on, but I can't tell if the emperor is pleased or not. I can't hear any rain outside, but I'm not surprised by that. Dancing to bring rain is just as pointless as trying to teach a blind person to read. Sakura feels the urge to duck under the personal assistant's arm and peer around the door frame, but Lady Shizuka holds her ground against Sakura's tempting ideas.

The long song finally ends, and every woman is now bowing with their foreheads touching the ground, indicating the song is done. I turn to leave, but the assistant gives me a nudge out the door, and it's a miracle I didn't stumble out it. I walk slowly along the wall towards the emperor's seat, completely unsure of what is going on. Out of the corner of my eye, I see that the musicians have their instruments in the resting position, and the women are still bowing, not fidgeting. Taking a deep breath, I pull myself off the wall and walk to the center of the room, taking a place in front of the large group of bowing women. It seems I'm supposed to do a chant or something by myself.

_Damn! If you don't make it rain after this, Buddha, I will strangle your fat neck myself. I don't care if you're a god. I'll make it work._

To make matters worse, as I look at the nobles that are sitting in the seats of honor beside the emperor, I find, well, everyone. To the direct right of the emperor are the Uchihas, all smirking in disbelief. To his direct left, Lord Jiraiya is sitting, eyeing the women lustfully, with Uzumaki Naruto by his side. Next to the Uchihas are the Hyugas, and beside them are the Naras and the Inuzukas. At Naruto's side, Lady Tsunade sits uninterested, but something in her amber eyes makes me feel like she is watching me intently. Next to her are the Sabakus and the Aburames.

_Damn._

I settle myself into a stance, indicating that I'm about to begin. The silence breaks as the drums pound a soft but unfaltering beat. I gently sway in time with it, thinking about nothing but the rhythm. It reminds me of a slowly fading heartbeat.

Now that the rhythm is memorized in my mind, I slowly start dancing. I have no idea what to chant because I've never heard a poem about asking the gods for rain. _They could have at least told me that they were going to throw me out on stage, and I'd have to make things up as I go. I could have prepared SOMETHING!_

I begin incorporating my arms into the dance, pushing them away and pulling them back into me. They are strong movements, bold like how a samurai should be, but they still keep the gracefulness of a woman. It's pretty, but I can only distract people for so long with pretty. I'll have to say something eventually.

_Think! THINK!!!_

"Why do you shun her?" I start to sing in a mournful voice. All eyes are watching my every move closely now, even Nara Shikamaru.

"Gods, have you no mercy?

Can't you hear her pleads?

The thirsty earth cries out.

"The earth slowly withers,

Her breath now hot and dry.

She can't live this way,

At least not for much longer.

"Gods, have you no tears to shed?

If only you did.

She could live a little longer.

If only you heard her cries."

_WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! THAT'S THE BEST I COULD COME UP WITH?! ALL THE GODS WILL INCINERATE US NOW THAT THEY'VE HEARD THAT! DAMN IT!_

I remain dancing, and as I spin, I notice that Yoshitsune's smirk is wider. Anyone can see that he is mocking me, if they were paying attention to him. Unfortunately, they are paying attention to me. My tachi is starting to look very appealing to Sakura, but Lady Shizuka makes her forget by doing a difficult turn. If I didn't have my shirabyōshi mask on, I would probably be screaming and waving my tachi at everyone, threatening them to stop staring at me or something insane like that.

I hear the drums slowing down, my cue that I should stop soon. I don't slow down, and as the music stops, I begin to use my feet as the drums. I still dance, but my footsteps always grow louder when the drum would normally sound. While the confused spectators watch me, I pray to the gods, for real, hoping they will take pity on me.

_Gods, I beg you, make it rain. How will I ever show my face again if this doesn't work? No, I'll restate that so it doesn't sound so selfish. How will any of us ever show our faces again? We will never be able to put on our masks of powder to become well known and respected performers. We will all be invisible. _

I cease praying (_groveling is a better word_) as soon as I stop dancing. I languidly drop to my knees and drop my forehead to the ground, silently glad that it's over. The room is silent; you can't even hear anyone breathing. I wish to look up and see these arrogant nobles' faces. _Probably disappointed. Well, they should try it and see how they do. _

"I'll go check!" Naruto suddenly screams as he leaps out of his chair and thunders across the room.

I hear Jiraiya groan at his stupidity. I can just imagine everyone else staring and wondering how that kid is a noble. Then they remember he was adopted. When they realize that, that's when they stop staring. It probably took Inuzuka Kiba the longest. It comes when you spend all day with dogs, I guess.

I feel as if years are slowly dwindling away as I sit motionlessly on the hard ground. Nothing happens. It stays quiet. I really want to leave, but Lady Shizuka keeps Sakura's actions in check. _If I have to sit here in this ridiculously quiet room for one more damn minute…_

I don't finish thinking because Naruto is dashing through the large doors again. He bounds across the room and flies into his seat. Everyone looks up at him, me and all the other shirabyōshi included. He sits in the chair, breathing heavily and not saying a word. I large smile can't help but appear on my face. It's not the fact that he looks like an idiot.It's the fact that he's completely soaked and there's a steady patter on the roof. It's raining.

_Great Buddha, thank you for listening to my ridiculous chant! Hell yeah! Fate and luck are on my side today!…Oh, speaking of Buddha…Can we forget that I ever mentioned strangling your fat neck?_

A steady applause begins to fill the room. Even the cold bastard, Yoshitsune, claps his hands.

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A/N: Another pointless chapter! Hooray! JK. The next chapter will be all about Sasuke and Sakura meeting. No more setting things up, I swear! So, please review and tell me what you think. Thanks! 


	3. An Unexpected Encounter with a Noble

I'd like to thank **sakura0617**, **oddity**, **strawberry9212**, **Beatjooup**, **Sayonara Solitaire**, **Frozen Poptarts**, **MintiNeko**, **bo0bah** (the names Yoshitsune and Yoritomo are their court names, kind of like an actor changing their name. Sasuke and Itachi are the names they grew up with though. It's kind of confusing, I know. lol), **AngelFire Rei**, **hellopanda23** (yeah, it'll be different then memoirs of a geisha, but it does have the same feel to it. As for intimate scenes…that is a surprise! .) **Oo.cherry-chan.oO**, **TennantFangirl**, and **Cookies321** for the review. I really appreciate all of them!

**Disclaimer:** I've dreamed that I've owned Naruto and the characters. Does that count?

The emperor sits in front of me, smiling at me genuinely. _A noble smiling genuinely…that's a new one. _However, no matter how reassuring he is trying to be, I feel uncomfortable underneath all these lords and ladies stares. I would feel much better if someone else was here with me, but all the shirabyōshi are in the guest rooms while I stand here, trying not to fidget. Right now, I would even appreciate the flighty personal assistant. _I must really be desperate to want his company._

I force myself to look at someone else besides the emperor. To my dismay, I find myself looking into the cold eyes of Uchiha Yoshitsune. _I better not look too long, or I'll freeze to death. _I laugh silently at my own joke and try to avert my gaze. I can't because his obsidian eyes are possessive. They seem to try to hold on to my gaze, unwilling to share it with anyone else. _Ha. I wish._ _I just can't stop looking at him because he is damn sexy. Dear Buddha, why did you kick this god out of heaven? _He appears to guess what I am thinking and smirks, imagining I am like all those other women who fawn over him. _WRONG! Ok, maybe I am fawning over him, but I'm only doing it in my thoughts so it doesn't count…does it? Damn him._

"Excuse me, dancer, was that a real Buddhist chant?" someone drawls, wakening me from my inward cursing of the Uchiha's perfection. From the way they said it, this person knows that it wasn't real and just wants to see what I'll say. Honestly, I'm glad they do because it means not all nobles are stupid. However, I believe that these intelligent nobles make up the minority of them.

I search for the source of the voice, and I find it is Nara Shikamaru, the lazy noble who Ino is in love with when she hasn't even spoken to him yet. I want to tell the truth, but what will happen if I do? Will they still be pleased with everything? _As pleased as the gods would be if I told them that I was the one who unlocked the gates of hell and let all the demons out._ So, I decided to take the easy way out. Avoid the question.

"Excuse me, but my name is not dancer."

"I know, but it's too troublesome to get into formalities."

"Shikamaru," his mother says sternly, giving him a fierce but controlled glare.

Shikamaru sighs and mutters something about troublesome women, which causes his father to smile. His wife chooses to ignore them and turns her attention back to me, her face humorless. She obviously didn't find it funny. _I think Lord Nara might be sleeping with the deer when they get back home._ Shikamaru averts his gaze from me, implying that he thinks it's too troublesome to ask the question again. _Victory!_

"Lady Shizuka, you haven't answered Shikamaru-sama's question yet," Yoshitsune reminds me, there's no smirk but a stolid face that makes me want to hit him. _But that would be a shame because I might damage his godlike face._

"Well…" I start, "…no, it isn't one written by a priest. Buddha…inspired me to say it."

I know that is a pathetic answer, but it's all I had. As I look at all their faces, they appear satisfied with that answer. I quietly let out a deep sigh of relief. This game of picking the right move to make is exhausting.

"I'm glad he did," the emperor says sincerely. "If he hadn't sent you to us and inspired you, then we wouldn't have any rain. We are extremely grateful, Lady Shizuka."

I feel a blush rushing to my cheeks, but my mask of rice powder hides it. I bow to show my gratitude for his generous compliments and rise up so I am standing again. _Shikamaru was right. Formalities are troublesome. _I wait patiently for another noble to make a comment, calming myself so I don't do anything stupid. Too bad my preparation was pointless. The room is quiet.

"You must be tired, Lady Shizuka. Shall I send for someone to escort you to your room?" The emperor asks kindly.

"I don't need…"

"I will," a deep voice volunteers, "to show how much the Uchihas appreciate all that Lady Shizuka has done."

Who is this gracious volunteer? It's none other than Uchiha Yoshitsune.

_Shall I rejoice or despair? Hmmm…Now that I think about it...I'm doomed_

"You are too kind," I reply eloquently. _I'm amazed at the lies that come out of my mouth sometimes. _"But you really don't have to go to all the trouble." _Ah, but there is an ounce of truthfulness in me._

"It is no trouble at all, Lady Shizuka," Yoshitsune insists, that obnoxious smirk on his face again.

The emperor nods, showing his approval at Yoshitsune's gallant gesture. _No! Tell him you will get someone of lower stature to do the menial task! Be a typical noble, damn it! _I don't get to finish my silent rant because Yoshitsune is ushering me out the room to the hallway. _Have you no mercy, great emperor? _I whimper softly enough so Yoshitsune doesn't heart me as the large, closing doors obscure my vision of the proud and smiling emperor.

"You are so full of shit," Yoshitsune says over his shoulder nonchalantly as he leads the way down one of the many halls that I would have gotten lost in without him

"Excuse me, Uchiha-sama? I did not hear what you said." _If he said what I think he said, I will hurt him._

"Don't make me say it again. You know exactly what I said. You and all those other shirabyoshi are just a bunch of liars, hiding behind your pretty white masks. You don't care what you say or do, as long as you get paid."

His voice isn't angry as he says it, but it should be. Instead, it is completely calm. _What is wrong with him? Is he totally devoid of emotion?_

"Excuse me, but I could say the same about you." _Great Buddha, did I just say that?_

"Really?" He drawls, but he looks at my directly this time, seeming interested in my response.

"You nobles have your own masks. You hide everything from the world except your arrogance." _Am I really talking to a noble this way?_

"Hn." _That's it? All I get is a "Hn"? What is that anyways? Is it a yes or a no? Is it some grunting noise that simply means he heard what I said? _I don't respond because I honestly don't know how, and Yoshitsune smirks at my silence.

I really want to take my tachi and hit him over the head with it while it is still sheathed. It would give me all the satisfaction of him in pain, but I wouldn't be executed for murder. Surprisingly, Lady Shizuka lets Sakura do as she pleases because, frankly, Lady Shizuka hates Yoshitsune as much as Sakura does and wants him to get what he deserves. I bring my hand to my tachi and clasp my hand around the hilt. It makes a slight noise as the tachi is jostled inside the sheath by my walking.

I don't know what happened after that. I just remember blinking and then my hand was pinned to my back with Yoshitsune behind me. My arm really hurts as he twists my arm slightly, causing me to wince. _Hmm…maybe I shouldn't have done that. Now, I'll probably be thrown in jail for attempted murder, and that's if the best should happen. _Through the pain, I turn my head slightly so I can look at his face. Surprisingly, it isn't grim like I imagined, but he was still smirking.

"So, you were sent to kill me? I wasn't expecting that." If Yoshitsune had emotions, I would classify his current one as amusement, but he doesn't have emotions or facial expression, except for that damn smirk.

"What an imagination you have, Uchiha-sama."

"I was wrong? What a rarity." _Arrogant bastard. Now that I think about it, killing you sounds like a good idea after all._

"You're an arrogant noble that deserves to be slapped, but slapping isn't my style," I inform him, forgetting everything Kurenai-sensei taught me about manners and controlling myself. "So, I was thinking about whether to just hit you still with my sheathed tachi." I realize that my speech has reverted to how Sakura talks. _Shit, I need to cover this up fast. _"But it was very rash of me. I should have held my temper even though we don't see eye to eye. Forgive me, Uchiha-sama."

He sees through my act. "Too late to cover it up now, _Lady Shizuka_," he sneers.

"Buddha, damn it all," I hiss, not realizing I'm saying this aloud.

"I never expected such language from a shirabyoshi," he says sarcastically, clearly enjoying mocking me.

I can't stand it anymore. So, what do I do? I do the unthinkable. I wrench my arm out of his firm grip and turn to face him. He isn't surprised, but I know that is because of the joint effort of his life-long training and iron will. In one sweeping motion, I grab his wrist and yank him forward, sending him flying. He doesn't fall flat on his face, but he uses his momentum to roll forward and stands up again. _I should have expected that from an Uchiha._

He turns to me slowly, and instead of angry, he seems…excited. Not the happy sort of excited, but more like the anticipating a battle sort of excited. With a smirk, he grabs my wrist and starts dragging me away from the guest rooms, down a different hallway. He quickly leads me to a door, which he throws open, and pulls me inside. I barely have time to realize that it's an armory because Yoshitsune practically runs through the room. As we go down another hall, I notice the katana in his hand. _Why does he have a…NO! I HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE! IT CAN'T END THIS WAY!_

It's just my luck that I end up having getting into a sword fight with Uchiha Yoshitsune. He happens to be a samurai, and one of the best swordsmen in Japan, if not the best. Oh, he's also a genius. He is the perfect warrior. He is strong, courageous, determined, and a brilliant strategist. He can be out on the front lines, battling enemy samurai, or he can be leading an entire army, planning out every move. Men respect and admire him for this, but they also fear him. I would fear him too if I was the one that had to be his sparring partner. He isn't the type to show anyone mercy, even if it's one of his own.

After a long expedition through the large palace, Yoshitsune leads me to the palace training grounds. It's still raining outside, and I can feel the makeup starting to run off my face. It feels almost symbolic to me, but I don't dwell on that thought for very long. I go back to thinking about the untimely end I'm about to meet.

"Don't just stand there looking like an idiot," orders Yoshitsune. "It'll be hard to move in all of that."

I notice that he is removing his clothing like he suggested. He pulls the kanmuri off of his head and discards it on the muddy ground. His hirao, gyotai, and obi are thrown down with the same care. _He obviously doesn't care that he is ruining his clothes. Oh, that's right he's a rich noble. He can buy all the damn clothes he wants to whenever he wants to. _He lifts a foot and takes off the asagutsu on it and chucks it thoughtlessly away from him. He repeats the action so that all that are on his feet are his shitozu.

"Are you deaf? Or just stupid?"

Grumbling, I start to take off on the suikan I'm wearing, but unlike Yoshitsune, I fold it carefully and place it in a dry spot. I roll up the sleeves of my second suikan and tie them in place so that my arms can move freely. It would be so much easier to take it off as well, but even with the light kosode that goes under my clothes, I wouldn't feel comfortable with Yoshitsune seeing me in that.

Yoshitsune obviously doesn't feel the same about that. He has already stripped off his hoeki no ho, okatabira, uwabakama, hanpi, and shitagasane. He now works on his hitoe, while I, with only two layers, have barely finished tying my suikan. _How many layers are there? Do they ever end?_

I voice these questions to him, and he simply smirks like he always does. _Typical. _He continues the tedious process of undressing until he finally has everything off except his oguchi and kosode. I stare in awe at him as he stands there, sliding the gleaming katana out of its sheath. The heavy rain makes the thin fabric of his wide open kosode cling to his chest. I can see his well-formed muscles that are the result of vigorous training. I could have stared at him like that all day, but I figure that Yoshitsune isn't a very patient person.

Now completely rid of everything except my first suikan and my hakama that I tied around my ankles, I pull my tachi out of the sheath and swing it experimentally. The tachi is perfect for fighting on horseback, but it is a little awkward when on foot. _It'll have to do. _I slide my foot back into an offensive stance, lifting my blade in front of me. Yoshitsune does the same, except the stance looks natural for him to be in, while I look ridiculous.

To surprise him, I try to lunge forward and attack first, but a gust of wind blows through the training grounds, causing my long hair to whip in my face. _Damn hair. _I release one hand from my tachi and grab a fistful of my hair. With a good tug, the wig comes off my head, and my pink hair falls into place. I throw the wig into the pile with the rest of my clothing and then resume my stance. Yoshitsune raises an eyebrow; he might as well be saying "What the hell is up with your hair?".

"Yeah, I have pink hair. It's natural, and yes, I am full Japanese. Do you have a problem with that?" I inform him gruffly.

"Not at all…Pinky," he mocks, not realizing what he had just done.

Rage boils up in me as I hear that accursed name. In blind anger, I rush towards Yoshitsune and swing my blade down in a large arc, aiming for his head. Yoshitsune instantly brings his katana up so that it crosses my blade, creating a resonant ring. With a forceful movement, he pushes my tachi away from him and spins. I barely react quickly enough by bringing my sword down to parry his attack. He somehow managed to be in a crouching position with one hand off the hilt for balance, and before I can attack, he brings his hand back to the hilt and thrusts the katana upward. I frantically shove it away with the tachi, now realizing why no one wants to spar with him.

I feebly try to aim my sword towards his chest, but as expected he stops it with ease. He continues with amazing agility and fluidity, and feints a stab to my thigh. I leap backwards to avoid being cut, but that was what he wanted. He somehow appears behind me and brings the katana to my neck, pressing it hard enough so that I feel the pain but not enough so that I bleed. I'm breathing heavily, but Yoshitsune isn't tired at all. I can tell he is smirking even though I can't see him. _I thought they teach these samurai never to underestimate their opponents._

I twist around rapidly and use my free hand to lift his hand that wields the sword in the air. I give him a swift kick in between the legs, and he bends over and groans with pain. His face should have gone from surprised to one contorted with pain, but he didn't give me that satisfaction. _Ah well, one can't have everything they want._

I should have known it was all too good to last. My short-lived victory ends as Yoshitsune grabs my ankle and pulls me to the ground. I feel all the air leave my lungs as I hit the ground. I cough as I try to breath, but no air fills my lungs. I gasp for breath, my chest heaving as I try to get air into them. Yoshitsune, feeling no sympathy, grabs his blade and touches it to my neck. I do my best to glare at him, but it's kind of hard when you can't breathe.

"Give up, Pinky?" He asks calmly, not bothering to hide his arrogance.

"Never," I whisper breathily.

I do a backwards roll to get to my feet and get to my feet, pointing my tachi menacingly at him. He teases me by gently pushing my blade aside, but I viciously swing it back into place. Raising his eyebrows at my fury, he easily eases back his weight so he is in another perfect stance. I decide to forget technique and lunge at him poorly, my execution badly done because of my rage. Instead of blocking, he sidesteps me, and I continue to move forward. Using my momentum, he gets behind me and gives me a swift kick on the back. I land face down in the mud with a loud and undignified squelch.

_Damn. It. All._

I gingerly raise myself from the ground, using my sword to brace myself. Yoshitsune walks up to me and knocks the tachi from my hand with his sword, sending me to my knees. Smirking triumphantly, Yoshitsune lifts my head up with the tip of his katana. I raise my head unwillingly, but he still presses the blade against my chin, urging me to stand up. I obey with an unattractive scowl on my face.

"How about now?" The cold blade still touches my skin.

I avert my gaze from him and don't answer, but he knows I admit my defeat. Lowering the sword, he drops his arm to his side and lets it rest there. I bring my head down so that my eyes are level with his dark ones. Our gaze doesn't last for long because Sasuke turns away abruptly. He bends down to gather his discarded clothes, ignoring that I exist. Slightly indignant, I put my hands on my hips and glower at him.

"What was all this about?" I ask. I should have asked this question along time ago. "You bring me out in the pouring rain and fight me. Want to explain?"

"Hn."

"That is _not_ an answer." My voice is exasperated. I'm starting to get the impression he really doesn't like conversation unless it is mocking someone.

"Hn."

"This isn't funny!"

"Aa."

"Uchiha-sama! Please stop annoying me and answer the question!"

Everything is quiet except for the rain splashing in the puddles that fill craters of mud. I sigh tiredly as I wait for him to say something. He makes me wait for a long time, but he finally answers.

"You're annoying."

"At least you said _something_, but that's not answering the question."

"Don't call me Uchiha-sama unless you have to. Reminds me too much of my…fans." His voice is deep and impassive as he says this.

"Then what do I call you?" I ask, not completely sure what he means.

"When no one else is around, call me Sasuke."

"Sasuke? Oh, isn't that your childhood name?"

Sasuke spins around and looks at me, trying to understand how I know this. I grin evilly, causing his eye to twitch in annoyance. "They say that if you want to know that darkest secrets of a noble, you should talk to the servants," I say obnoxiously, trying to rub it in his face. He denies me another triumph, and I fold my arms, pouting childishly. "I've performed for your family before," I explain. "You wouldn't remember because you weren't there. You were away on military business."

"Hn."

"Here we go again!" I say exasperatedly. "Don't you talk in full sentences?! Fine! Don't tell me why you dragged me out in this rain and fight me, nearly cutting my head off!"

I snatch up my clothes and my wig, avoiding looking into his eyes. I angrily storm away but not very far. Sasuke grabs my wrist and pulls me roughly toward him. I'm now so close to him I can feel his warm breath on my face. I feel my face heat up, but this time, there's no mask to save me the embarrassment. Lady Shizuka left me on my own a long time ago, and for once, I kind of miss her.

"And you?" He whispers without any emotion.

I assume he means my name when he asks this. "Sakura," I breathe, barely able to speak because of our closeness.

Sasuke stands without saying anything but quickly pushes me away. "Stupid name," he sneers as he turns away, disappearing out of the training grounds into the palace.

I stand motionlessly as the downpour continues to drench me, staring at the place I last saw him. I still don't know why he had me do this, but it was the most interesting experience I've ever had with a noble. Having a duel and being asked to call him by his childhood name the next time I see him isn't something a shirabyoshi is normally asked by a noble. Normally, it's will you spend the night with me and have a good time; the next day it's that was great, but it was a one time thing, leaving said shirabyoshi with a broken heart.

"Sakura! Sakura!" A familiar voice calls.

I turn around slowly and find Ino standing by the door, looking at my angrily. She marches over to me, not caring that the ends of her hakama are getting dirty. She snatches me wrist and forcefully pulls leads me back inside. _How many times am I going to get dragged around today? _I can't see her face as we move through the palace, but I can tell she is furious at me, though I'm unsure why. We finally end up back at the guest rooms where Sasuke and I had been an hour earlier. She spins around and lets out all of her rage that she had kept inside the whole time.

"Where were you?! I thought you let yourself get swept away by one of those nobles!"

"I'm sorry, Ino-chan," I mumble timidly. Ino can be just as scary as Anko when she is angry.

"Don't Ino-chan me! Where the hell were you?!"

"I was with Sas…Uchiha-sama."

"Doing what?" She asks tensely, not liking the sound of things.

"We fought," I say even quieter.

"What?!" Ino bellows. It wasn't what she had expected, which was a relief, but this wasn't good either. "What happened?"

"He started annoying the hell out of me, and I reacted. Then, we fought some more outside the rooms, and then I really lost it. I threw him down the hall…"

"You didn't!" Ino exclaims, interrupting as she always does when I tell her interesting.

"Yes, I did. Then, he got all excited. Not that happy kind of excited, more like the ready for battle kind of excited. After that, he dragged me out to the training grounds, and we fought each other."

"Great Buddha! Then what?" Ino begs excitedly.

"I asked him why he dragged me out in the rain to fight me, and he doesn't respond. I nagged him for a while, but he finally tells me I'm annoying and tells me to call him Sasuke, his childhood name, because Uchiha-sama or Yoshitsune reminds him too much of annoying court ladies. Then, he asks my real name."

"Oh," she disappointedly says, dropping her head slightly.

"What? Was he supposed to do something romantic?"

"Well…yes."

I snort at the idea of Sasuke being romantic. He barely talks and rarely shows emotion. I doubt he even knows how to be romantic. I don't even know if he likes girls. Maybe he prefers men. I have heard of noble like this; they are rare, but they do exist. There was a rumor of a male noble that took on a male concubine from an acting troupe.

I laugh out loud of the idea of the dignified Uchiha Yoshitsune liking men. Ino gives me a strange look, but I shake my head, implying that it's nothing. Ino shrugs and goes into one of the rooms; I follow her into the room. Tenten and Sayuki are sitting on the futons; Tenten is pulling off her wig and putting her hair into two buns like she usually does while Sayuki is wiping her makeup off. They stop to greet Ino happily, but as they see me, their cheery faces change into expressions of shock. I cock my head, bemused at first, but I realize that I'm soaking wet and covered in dirt.

"Hey, everyone," I say, ignoring their faces.

"Sak, what happened?" Tenten wonders, standing up to see if I'm all right.

"Why are you all wet, Sakura-chan?" Sayuki asks sweetly.

"Oh, I…" I try to make up an excuse, but Ino throws me a stern look.

"Don't even think about lying, Sakura."

"Well, it started when Sasuke offered to take me to my room…"

"Who's Sasuke?" Sayuki and Tenten interrupt at the same time, a hungry look in their eyes.

I sigh as I sit down on one of the futons. The two of them sit on either side of me, giggling girlishly. Ino even sits on the futon with us to listen to me tell what happened again. I start to tell them, not leaving anything out because they would know if I did. Without my mask, I'm a horrible liar. They gasp at all the same places that Ino did, and they have the same disappointed face she did at the end when I finish. I roll my eye and fall back so that I'm lying on the futon. I'm exhausted from my encounter with Sasuke, and I want nothing to do with another noble for the rest of the day.

"All right, dearies," Anko-sensei says as she opens our doors. "We've been invited to dinner with the emperor, so don't get too comfortable. You don't have to get back into costume, though...What happened to you, Sakura?"

"I got lost and ended up outside in the rain," I lie, not even raising my head to look at her.

"Right, and I'm the emperor of Japan," Anko-sensei snorts, causing the other girls to giggle.

I scowl and grab a pillow off the futon, throwing it hard at Anko-sensei. She catches it and sends it straight back at me, hitting me square in the face. I groan and pull it off my face. I raise my head and stick my tongue out at Anko-sensei as she leaves to alert the other shirabyoshi. Letting my head rest on the futon again, I let out a weary sigh and close my eyes. _Great. Dinner. With nobles. With THAT noble. More manners. More lying...Damn._

"Sakura, you have to get ready! You're covered in dirt, and dinner is going to start soon!" _Thanks for reminding me, Ino._

"Shut up, pig, I know."

"What did you call me?"

"Hn." I say, mimicking a certain noble. Ino raises an eyebrow confusedly, making me burst out laughing. Ino doesn't bother asking what I am laughing at and looks for something she can wear to dinner. _Right, dinner. I can't wait._

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry. I feel like I'm going to be letting down some people with this chapter. Their meeting is probably not what people were expecting or wanting. Sorry. And I know Sasuke is OOC and the ending isn't very good. Well, please review and tell me what you liked or didn't like. They would be greatly appreciated. 

Oh, if you want to know what Sasuke's outfit looked like, you can go to my profile and check it out.


	4. A Dinner with a Dog Who Has All the Dirt

I'd like to thank **oddity** _(yay, i love cookies),_ **Blackblossom93**, **FakeCompassion**, **bo0bah**, **Sayonara Solitaire**, **hellopanda23**, **freak a geek**, **Market Rush** _(yeah, I kinda made a weird choice by writing it that way. I haven't completely decided how Sasuke is going to treat Sakura, so I ended up writing that. lol), _**les-liasons-dangereuses**, **Sennyu Megami** _(Any minor pairings in the future are a surprise…mainly because I haven't decided on them. lol. They'll be there, though, because a lot Sakura's thoughts and experiences have a lot to do with scandalous noble gossip)_, **Oo.cherry-chan.oO**, and **AngelFire Rei** for the review! I really appreciate the feedback!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

After my friends forcing me to get dressed in something decent and then dragging me by the wrists to the banquet hall, I find myself sitting at one of the many low-standing tables that were artistically placed by the emperor's servants. Thanks to the personal assistant's seating arrangements, all the shirabyoshi and nobles are scattered at what I think to be at random, but I'm sure if you asked him, he would say that everyone was strategically placed. I am sitting next to Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuga Neji, and as far as shirabyoshi, they haven't introduced themselves because they are too busy trying to get Neji to pay attention to them. _Really, there is nothing strategic about putting anybody at this table together. Oh well, I'm just glad I didn't get stuck with Lord Uchiha or Lord Hyuga._

Kiba is pretty amiable as far as nobles go. He smiles a lot, which makes him easy to talk to. Sometimes, it makes him look ridiculous like Naruto, but I still like him well enough for some one who is high-class. There is one little problem; the only things he really likes to talk about is dogs, which can get old after a while. _VERY old._

All that aside, I'm glad that I can talk to Kiba instead of that arrogant ass, Neji. He hasn't said anything yet, but I don't think he's going to. He has this hungry look in his eyes, but I know he isn't thinking about the food. Even with all the shirabyoshi at our table whining at him to pay attention to them, he still manages to ignore all of that and stare at Tenten. For some reason, I feel really uncomfortable with him watching her like that.

_If he does anything to her, I swear I'll…_

"Don't you think so, Lady Shizuka?" Kiba asks, unaware he is interrupting my secret threats to Neji.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, Inuzuka-sama. I was lost in thought." I apologize sincerely.

"It's all right," he says, grinning widely. "I was just saying how well the emperor's dogs are growing. What do you think?"

"I haven't seen them, so I can't say." _Lady Shizuka strikes again with another tactful and polite answer even when I'm not really being a shirabyoshi right now. Sakura, on the other hand, would love to tell Kiba to stop talking about dogs!_

Kiba's face becomes eager. "Would you like to see them? When this banquet is done, we could go see them!"

I can't find it in my heart to say no to him. I nod my consent, giving him a gentle smile. There is another wide smile on his face, and a small laugh escapes me. I cover my mouth with my hand and pretend to cough, but there is nothing I can do to hide my blush. _I really wish I was wearing my makeup right now._ It's not too bad, though. Nobody noticed at my table except Kiba, but I'm not so lucky elsewhere. Ino, who is sitting with Sasuke and Hinata, turns around and looks at me, giving me a strange look. I glare at her, silently telling her to ignore it and turn back around. Sasuke happens to notice Ino looking at me and glances over at me too. He sees me blushing, and even though I'm pretty sure he doesn't know why, he still smirks at it. _DAMN YOU AND DAMN THAT SMIRK!_

"Are you ok, Lady Shizuka?" Kiba asks as he put a hand on my shoulder, his face full of concern.

_You're up, Lady Shizuka. Think up a good lie and fast. _"My throat is a little sore…from singing."

"Oh, well you should drink some tea!" Kiba recommends as he hands me my green tea to me.

"Thank you, Inuzuka-sama."

"Come on, call me Kiba."

"I don't think I could bring myself to address you so informally," I say shyly. _What a load of horse shit. Damn I'm good._

"If you say so…" Kiba sighs before taking a sip of his tea.

Soon after, Kiba continues his talk on dogs, and I do my best to not look bored so I don't hurt his feelings. I chance a look at Ino, and I see that she is just as bored as I am. Sasuke won't talk to any one and is quietly eating, while the other shirabyoshi, including Takako, are staring longingly at him. _I've tried to tell them that no matter how long you stare at him, he doesn't talk, but do they listen? No. _Beside him, Hinata sits in fearful silence, staring at her food. _Sasuke, stop looking like you are going to kill someone. You are scaring the hell out of Hinata._

I turn to Kiba again, and he doesn't notice that I haven't been paying attention. He just keeps talking and grinning, and I nod appropriately to let him know I'm "listening". I turn my head again because I feel someone's eyes on me. It's Ino. I'm surprised she hasn't exploded yet; I didn't know it was possible for her to go five minutes without talking.

I tug my ear as inconspicuously as I can, which basically means "How are you holding up?" Ino, Tenten and I have developed a system for boring dinners such as this one. She responds by bringing her hand across her neck horizontally and then pretends to push away a loose strand of hair to hide the action. Translation: "I'm practically dying over here." I look back at Kiba, and he's still talking happily about his own dog, Akamaru. I tap my finger twice on the table, hoping Kiba will ignore it. "This guy talks a lot." Then, after consideration, I tap my finger three times. "He's sweet". Looking over at her, I see Ino mouth "He's pretty cute", but I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to Kiba.

Even though I thought it impossible, something interrupts Kiba. Ino let's out a quiet gasp that is just loud enough for my table to hear. I can barely hear what they are saying, but if I strain my ears, I figure that Sasuke noticed what we were doing. _Typical. _Ino is doing her best to cover it up, but his face tells me he isn't buying it. Finally, after he appears annoyed at Ino's excuses, he waves it off. I hear her sigh with relief, and I turn to Kiba again. He has an interesting look on his face now.

"So what did you think of Uchiha when he escorted you to your room?" Kiba asks me, surprising me as well. I wasn't expecting that.

I think of the vaguest things I can say. "I haven't really spoken to him, so I can't say."

"Yeah, Uchiha isn't much of a talker. He's more of a…doer…" Kiba grimaces as he says the last word.

"What do you mean?" I ask, truly interested this time. _What can I say? As Sakura or Lady Shizuka, I can't say not to good gossip. Especially about a guy like him._

Kiba nervously beckons me to come closer, and I lean forward, letting him whisper into my ear and not caring how it might appear. "I saw him…well…" he tries embarrassedly. I do my best to remain patient until he is ready to start again. "Uh…well I didn't really see, but I heard…you know…rice paper walls and all…I was just walking by with Akamaru…"

_I guess he doesn't prefer men after all. _To be truthful, I'm stunned, but I don't let Kiba know that. I nod, showing that I understand what he is trying to say. Kiba really looks like he wants to just drop the subject, but he knows I want more information then that. I wouldn't be human if I didn't. He fidgets nervously as he tries to muster up the ability to speak. My patience is wearing thin, but it would do no good to get angry with him.

"He was with one of the shirabyoshi in your group…" he trails off, looking away from me.

"What?!" I hiss. "Who was it?"

"I'm not sure…" he answers. "Oh, wait…I think he said her name once, telling her to be quiet. He must have heard our footsteps...um…R…"

"Rika!" I whisper a little loudly, but thankfully, no one heard me. _From UYFC? No way! I thought he hated people like that!_

"I think so," he stutters.

"Does he normally do this with women? I mean any woman: shirabyoshi, noble, servant…"

"I don't know, but Sakura, can we drop this?"

"Sorry, Kiba-sama," I apologize. Calling him that did the trick. He gives me a faint smile before picking up his chopsticks. _I think I scared him out of talking for a while._

Now that Kiba is occupied, I turn my head to look at Sasuke, as if seeing him would help establish what I heard. _I can't believe…maybe it wasn't…but what if it…_ Sasuke is already staring at me, his face stoic. He looked as if he was watching me and Kiba whispering, but I'm positive he can't hear us from where he is sitting when we were talking so quiet. Unless he can read minds like Kurenai-sensei, but I don't want to think about that. That's too scary.

He breaks eye contact with me and turns to get the attention of a servant. Sasuke whispers something to him, and the servant drops to the ground in a bow. After standing, he scurries out of the banquet hall; it sort of reminds me of a mouse being threatened by a feral cat. After some time, the servant returns with a man walking beside him. The man took lazy but long strides that I think reflect his personality. He is tall, muscular, and pretty attractive for a guy in his thirties. _At least, I think he is attractive. How am I supposed to tell with that mask on? Only ninja wear masks, but they are common thieves._ His hair is silver and sticks up everywhere, like he just got out of bed. _I thought only old people had silver hair._

"Hey, Kiba," I whisper, not taking my eyes off the stranger. _He's obviously not a noble. I would know him if he was. _"Who's that?"

"Oh," Kiba says after swallowing, "I think that's his bodyguard."

"Why does he need one of those? He's a samurai." _Not as strong as we appear, huh, Sasuke?_

"Well, every noble family has their own guards, even if several of the members are well studied in swordsmanship and martial arts, but I think there's more to it. I think I remember hearing that this guy taught Uchiha a lot of what he knows and has been his guard ever since Uchiha was a kid."

"Can you tell me about the mask?" I ask.

"Nope, nobody knows the story behind that. Well, except him, of course. And maybe Uchiha."

I watch the man intently as he stands by Sasuke, not even bothering to bow. Sasuke raises his eyebrows, and the silver-haired man barely bends at the waist. Apparently satisfied, Sasuke starts conversing with the man and the man listens calmly, not reacting to a word Sasuke says. When he finished, the man shakes his head, no emotion in his eyes as he refuses an order. Sasuke glares at him, and I am thankful that I'm not the one receiving it. The man shrugs and walks away, ignoring Sasuke's silent rage at his disobedience. The fuming Uchiha brings his eyes away from the man walking out the large doors and glowers at me instead. _Damn it! Did he know I was watching this whole time? _I whip my head around and pretend I wasn't staring,

I pick up my chopsticks and grab some noodles from my plate. I glance at him quickly before putting it in my mouth, and much to my surprise, his anger is contained. He is back to being his emotionless self. Shrugging mentally, I daintily put the food in my mouth, and I realize that I haven't eaten since the banquet started. I continue eating while listening to Kiba tell really bad jokes and stopping occasionally to force a laugh.

Now done eating, I look around for something interesting going on. The emperor is politely listening to Kiba's father talk about their dogs. _I feel your pain. _Anko-sensei looks like she wants to hit him if he doesn't stop. _Don't let Kurenai-sensei catch you glaring daggers at him, Anko-sensei._ At another table, Tenten is in deep conversation with Lady Tsunade about something. _Lucky. _Moving along, I see Naruto arguing loudly with a servant, pointing at a stack of about ten empty bowls, while Lord Jiraiya, at another table, has his elbows on the table and his face in his hands. _I would try to hide too if that was my son, adopted or not. _Lord Uchiha is…

"Your imperial majesty!" A servant shouts, running through into the room.

All heads turn to the disheveled servant, who is breathing heavily, and he almost forgets to bow. "The…dogs…" he pants, "escaped…

The emperor looks alarmed as he realizes his dogs are missing. According to Kiba, the emperor is very fond of them, and they are some of the best hunting dogs ever bred. Kiba and his father stand up abruptly before the emperor can speak. Kiba's father glances over at Kiba and then at the emperor, who gives him a nod. Kiba looks down at me and winks before running out the door with his father. With out knowing why, I glance over at Sasuke, suspicions starting to fill my head. _That's stupid. What would be the point of that? The dogs probably just found something that interested them and chased after it. They are really cute, but they do strange things sometimes, like eat garbage._

"Please continue your meals," the emperor says with a smile that doesn't match the worry in his eyes.

I disappointedly look at the place Kiba had been sitting. He was an interesting person, and even though I was a little tired of him talking about Akamaru and dogs in general, he was still fun to talk to. After some thought, I decide to make up an excuse to leave. I stand up abruptly, causing my table and the rest of the room to look at me. I bow to everyone at my table, saying that I feel tired and wish to retire for the evening. Neji gives me a nod, not really caring what I do. The other shirabyoshi simply stare at me, so I ignore them and walk to the emperor's table. I drop to my knees and bow so that my head touches the floor. _Ow, my knees just cracked._

"Forgive me, emperor. I do not want to appear rude, but I am quite tired. With your consent, I would like to retire to my room."

"Of course, Lady Shizuka," the emperor says distractedly. _He must really be worried about those dogs._

My knees creak as I stand up, and I want to wince. Ignoring the pain, I walk quickly out the room to avoid the stares of everyone else in the room. _Don't people have anything better to do besides stare? _I start making my way down the hall, but as I come to the place where the hallway branches off into another one, I realize that I have no idea where I'm going. _Why does this place have to be so damn confusing? I guess I'll just have to ask someone. _I spin around looking for a servant, but I'm the only one in the hallway. _That ruins that plan._

"Olly olly oxen free," I say, being careful not to be too loud so that it echoes. I giggle a little at myself.

"Aren't you a little old to be playing hide and seek?" An unfamiliar voice asks me listlessly from behind.

I turn uncertainly and find the silver-haired man standing there, leaning his back against the wall with his arms crossed. I gasp quietly because I was sure that no one else was in the hall. It's a little hard to tell with so little light and with his mask, but I think he is smiling. I feel my tense muscles relax at this, and a small smile forms on my lips.

"I wasn't playing hide and seek," I say sheepishly.

"So if you aren't playing hide and seek and you're going to the banquet, what are you doing?" He asks as he moves away from the wall to stand in front of me.

"I…uh…feel tired…and uh…" _Why can't I lie like I normally do?_

"Right," he says, seeing through my pathetic excuse.

"…it was just so boring after Kiba left…" My eyes widen as I realize what I said. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"I didn't say it was," he says. His manner is so aloof I'm not sure if he believes me or not. "I guess things like that _could _get pretty boring after a while," he speculates after a pause. He doesn't particularly say this to anyone.

The man starts to walk away from me, and after quiet debate, I hurry after him. I admit that I am curious; if he talked, he would be a perfect source of information. Too bad that he is a lot like Sasuke. I wonder if it is to him I can thank for Sasuke's cold and distant behavior. _No…there's more warmth in his eyes, as if he was once like Sasuke, but the coldness…melted. __Ha ha… _I lift my head up to look at him, but he ignores me and continues to walk. Indignant, I clear my throat to see if that'll get his attention. _Stop ignoring me!_

I attempt to give him a shove, but he brushes me off as he would a fly. I cross my arms in annoyance and pout silently, still following him down the hall. I silently wonder if there is anything that will get his attention. _Let's see…I've done practically everything. Maybe if hop on one foot and sing a Japanese drinking song holding a lucky cat… _

"Oh, sorry, did you need something?" The man asks sheepishly, looking down at me and bringing his hand to the back of his head.

_How dense is he?_

"Well, yeah, I was wondering…"

"Hey, isn't this your room?" He interrupts.

I slowly turn to look at the door he is pointing at. Sure enough, it's my room. I look back at him, examining the half of his face that shows very closely. Everything feels like it was a part of his master plan, getting me to my room and managing to keep me from asking questions. That's giving him a lot of credit though. It might very well be coincidence. _But if he's the one who trained Sasuke..._

"Hey, by the way," the man says as he stops near a door that is halfway down the hall. _How did he get all the way over there with out me noticing? _"Don't be too trustful of your friend…Kiba-_kun_. He seems friendly enough, but really he's…a dog." Before I can respond, he opens the door and disappears. The last things I hear of him is his laughter at his own pathetic joke.

_What right does he have telling me what to do? Anyways, Kiba isn't like that, but Sasuke probably is._

"Lady Shizuka!" A breathless Kiba says as he dashes down the hall way.

"Inuzuka-sama," I reply cheerfully. _I do NOT call him Kiba-kun. _"You caught those dogs quickly."

"Yeah, someone found them already and had them all gathered together. They were just about to leave for the palace when we found them. They made our job really easy." He does this all in one breath. He takes a deep breath and continues. "Why aren't you at dinner, Lady Shizuka?"

"I…I was bored," I say honestly, surprising myself. "I told the emperor I was tired and wanted to go to my room, but…"

"So you missed me then?" He says audaciously.

"Terribly," I say sarcastically.

"Ouch, I think that one stung a bit, Lady Shizuka."

I laugh a little at that one. "How about I make it up to you? Why don't we go visit the palace dogs?"

"Sure!" He says as he grabs my and leads me through the door that the silver-haired man disappeared. _How many times will I get dragged around in one day? First Sasuke, then Ino, then Ino AND Tenten, now Kiba…_

Kiba leads me past the stables to the kennels where the dogs reside. They all welcome us with loud barks and wagging tails. Kiba soon strikes up conversation with then, talking to the dogs as he would me. He asks them how they liked their little outing, and they all bark happily in response. It makes me wonder if they can understand each other, but that is as ridiculous as Sasuke smiling. Kiba let's one of the dogs out, and it jumps on top of me, sending me to the ground. It licks my face playfully, and I start laughing uncontrollably.

"I bet you wish that was you instead of the dog," someone sneers. I feel my laughter choke up as my body freezes. _I know that voice._

Kiba, with an apparent scowl on his face, drags the dog off of me and puts it back in the kennel. "What are you doing here, Uchiha?" His voice is full of disdain.

"I'm waiting for someone."

"Who?" I ask, propping myself up with my arms.

"Hn."

"I really should meet this Hn. You talk about him or her so much." _Bad Sakura! You can't talk to nobles like that!_

"Aa."

"Come on, Sakura," Kiba says, offering me a hand, which I take with some hesitation.

I suddenly feel two really heavy bodies on top of me, and it's really hard to breathe. I try to crane my neck to see the second person that collapsed on me, but the weight makes it almost impossible to move. I start squirming forward, and inch by inch, I manage to pull myself out from under the mess. Flipping myself over so I'm sitting comfortably, I look over and see the silver-haired man was the one that landed on Kiba and me.

"What were you doing?" Sasuke and I ask at the same time.

"Sorry, Inuzuka-sama," the silver-haired man groans as he gets up, offering a hand to Kiba once he stands up. Kiba gratefully takes it and uses it to stand up.

"Well, Kakashi?" Sasuke asks him impatiently. _So that's his name._

"Well, I was visiting the dogs, but then I saw an interesting bird. I climbed up into the rafters to get a better look at it, but it turns out it was only Yoshitsune-sama's hair."

"Liar," I hiss as a try not to laugh, causing Kakashi to smile.

"Hn" was Sasuke's only reply. _Surprise, surprise._

I secretly glance over at Sasuke, and even though he is trying to hide it, he looks like he wants to kill Kakashi. Kakashi simply shrugs and starts walking off, leaving Sasuke even more furious than before.

"I think I'll take a stroll on the road of life, which so happens to be going in the exact opposite direction of Yoshitsune-sama…" Kakashi says as he begins walking leisurely from all of us. He lifts up a hand as a gesture of farewell.

Sasuke starts to follow, and as I see him pass, I notice his hand his gripped tightly on the hilt of his katana. _Kakashi-san, I'll send a prayer to Buddha for you. _Kiba bursts out laughing and braces himself on one of the kennels to keep standing. I can't help but laugh with him.

"Let's go," Kiba attempts to say through his laughter.

I take a deep breath and force myself to stop laughing. With a slight struggle, I get up off the ground and brush the dirt from my kimono. _It isn't that dirty, not compared to my costume that got ruined in the rain. _We start making our way back inside the palace, thinking up crazy ideas of what Kakashi really was doing up in the rafters.

* * *

**A/N:** Random, huh? I doubt any of you were expecting Kakashi falling out of the rafters! lol. If anyone did, you are amazing. I feel like some people are probably going to ask if this story has any KakaSaku and/or KibaSaku. Well…there will be no KakaSaku, but he will be appearing again later on. As for KibaSaku…it's one sided, but I'm not going to make a big deal about it. Sorry, it was kind of boring again. I'm trying to pick things up. And I need to work on endings...Well, please review! 


	5. A Revealing of What Really Goes On

I'd like to thank **MintiNeko**, **Sayonara Solitaire**,** bo0bah**, **TennantFangirl** (I have some ideas for Shikamaru being involved in the plot in later chapters. .), **oddity**, **hellopanda23** (There won't be very much one sided KibaSaku after this, I promise, and as for who Sasuke was waiting for…se.cr.et! .), **FakeCompassion**, **les-liaisons-dangereuses** (The mystery of the conveniently placed Kakashi will be revealed, but it's too soon for that right now), **Cookies321**, **AngelFire Rei, **and **freak a geek** for the reviews.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. If I did, I doubt I'd be writing this disclaimer.

Kiba and I walk down the hall in comfortable silence. We had just been laughing uncontrollably and were now trying to catch our breaths. I barely notice that we've stopped at an unfamiliar hallway, but then again, every hallway here is unfamiliar to me. I really have no sense of direction. _Maybe I should ask one of the servants for a map…_ I look over at Kiba, and he is leaning lazily against the wall, next to the door. He is observing me carefully, a little too carefully for my taste. I shift uncomfortably under his gaze, not sure how to react.

"_Don't be too trustful of your friend…Kiba-kun. He seems friendly enough, but really he's…a dog."_

_No, he was wrong. Kiba isn't like that. _I chance another look at him, and he is still watching me. I bite my lip to stop it from quivering; I feel scared for some reason. I keep thinking that nothing will happen, that Kiba will keep a gentlemanly distance from me. I realize how delusional I am as Kiba slowly advances on me. My body freezes, and I can't defend myself as his lips come closer to mine. _Move. Move! MOVE! _His lips are so close now that if he moves slightly forward, our lips would touch. _He's waiting for me to come the rest of the way. _His arms slide around my waist, pulling my body closer to his.

"Inuzuka-sama, one of the dogs has an injured paw. You should look at it."

Both of us turn our heads to find the voice. The source is Kakashi, walking nonchalantly down the hall. Able to think clearly, I leap back from Kiba, widening the space between us so Kakashi can walk between us and so Kiba and I are far away from each other. He pays no attention to us, pretending as if nothing had happened. He continues going down the hall, leaving us to stare blankly at his back.

"Well…I'd…you know…better go," Kiba mumbles as he turns to me.

I nod vigorously and start backing away, smiling stupidly. I wave idiotically at him, ignoring his confused face. With a quick bow, I bolt down the hall in the direction Kakashi had taken, not caring where I went, as long as I didn't have to deal with that again. I feel tears start to slide down my cheeks as I run, making me practically blind. It's a miracle I haven't run into anything. I continue to roam aimlessly, trying to escape and find someplace I can just hide.

"Please stop." The voice is distant, like it's coming from the end of the hallway.

Curiosity takes over my reason, and I tentatively make my way towards the voice. I hear a quiet moan, and I rethink on continuing. My inquisitiveness clouds my thoughts again, and I keep going closer. The moans become louder as I reach the end of the wall. With all the courage I can muster, I peek around the corner. I hold in a gasp by clamping my hand down on my mouth tightly and hiding back behind the wall again. I really regret looking. _I didn't just see that. This can't be happening._

"Stop…no…" That is Tenten's voice. "This is too fast."

"Stop trying to resist. You know you want it." The voice belongs to Hyuga Neji.

"Neji!" Tenten gasps in pain, her voice husky as she tries to hold back tears.

_I can't believe I'm hearing this! I have to…I have to…_

I turn and start to run away, but I collide into a hard body, whose arms wrap tightly around me. I try to escape and scream, but I'm pulled tighter, muffling my voice and restraining my movements. I raise my tear-streaked face to look up into the eyes of Kakashi. He smiles at me weakly and gestures for me to remain silent. I nod, but I'm really confused. _Why the hell is this guy everywhere? _He keeps a firm grip on my until my breathing is controlled. He then pats me on the head gently as he would his younger sibling and let's go of me.

Kakashi starts to quietly walk in place, making me raise my eyebrow. I hear Neji shush the sobbing Tenten. Kakashi, still in one spot, increases the volume of his footsteps. I hear one set of footsteps sprinting down the hall, and I'm almost positive about who's they are. Kakashi ceases stomping and glances down at me gently, with a weak smile on his face. He motions towards the crying girl with his head, silently telling me to comfort her. I force myself to give him something that vaguely resembles a smile, because I can't bring myself to verbally thank him. Nodding, he turns on his heel and disappears down the hall. _He always seems to just appear at strange times and then disappear without a word._

I walk around the corner and find Tenten, curled up and weeping. I approach her slowly and carefully place a hand on her back. Her head snaps up, fear filling her eyes. Once she realizes it's me, her body relaxes, and she drops her head. I slowly crouch beside her and wrap an arm around her shoulders. She shudders at the touch, but I don't withdraw. _What did he do to her? I should have done something! Why did I try to run? Arg! I should just forget about me; I need to get Tenten to the room. _I stand up, and with a struggle, I pull Tenten up with me and do my best to support her.

"Now, where the hell is the room?" I ask myself aloud.

"Go all the way down and take a left," Kakashi's voice calls out.

I shake my head and don't even try to look for him. _I'm not even going to try and figure out how he does it. _Slowly and carefully, Tenten and I make our way down the hall, and Tenten's sobs quiet so that you have to strain to hear them. I grimace as I try to shift her so I can help her better, almost letting her collapse to the floor. _Some help would be nice right about now. Any takers? Kakashi? Buddha?_

After much tripping and falling, I succeed in bringing her to the room. My fingers clumsily try to grasp the door to slide it open, but another hand reaches over and pushes it open for me. I glance over expecting Kakashi, but it was Sasuke. I knit my brows together, really confused what he is doing here. Ignoring the questions swimming around in my head, I pull Tenten into the room and place her on the futon as carefully as I can. She remains in the exact same position as I put her in when I put her down, and I frown with worry. I turn back around to the open door, and Sasuke is still there, looking in on us. Sighing, I go back out the room into the hall and shut the door behind me.

"Are you waiting for someone again?" I ask with cold politeness, unexplainably displeased to see him.

"Hn."

"If you're looking for _Rika_," I drawl, "she's a couple rooms down." _Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned that._

Sasuke simply smirks and walks in the direction I had nodded to. _Fine, go to that bitch! Like I care! Bed her as many times as you like! It won't bother me at all to know that she is kissing you and touching you. I don't need you. I have any one I choose…Wait. What? Did I just think that?_

"Wait!" I shout, surprising me and I'm guessing Sasuke as well.

Sasuke doesn't respond, but he does turn to look at me. His face is serious and unreadable as he observes me. It doesn't make me cringe like Kiba's, but it still scares me. I don't say anything, but I stare down at my feet. I can't bring myself to explain why I stopped him. I don't even know why myself. It's just the more I think about it, the more I can't stand him going to her. It's not like I wanted to be the one… Sasuke, after waiting patiently, starts to go down the hall towards Rika's room. I start to speak, but I catch myself and bite my lip. _Why do I want to stop him stop him so badly?_

"What reason do you have to believe what that guy tells you?" Sasuke asks; his hand already on the door to Rika's room.

"What reason do I have to believe you?" I snap, a little unsure what he means.

I don't know if he was going to answer because I fled into the room before I could find out. All thoughts of Sasuke escape me as I see Tenten still curled up on the futon, her pillow damp from tears. I kneel down and sit with her on the futon, placing a gentle hand on her back. Sobs start again as she feels my hand. I start to feel pained as I watch her. _What did he do to you, Tenten? _

"Tenten," I say quietly, "please tell me what happened."

She shakes her head, but I don't let the matter drop. "Tenten, please tell me."

"Sakura, leave me alone," she begs.

"Tenten…"

"I don't need your help," Tenten mumbles.

"Yes, you do, now tell me…"

"He pushed me up against a wall and kissed me, and I'm sure even you can figure out what happens next," she says bitterly as she sits up quickly, interrupting me. "Happy now?"

"Even me? What is that supposed to mean?" I say, slightly offended.

"Yeah, even you. Lady Shizuka, the one who won't put out for any noble. The perfect, strong-willed virgin, Lady Shizuka," she sneers, the anger in her voice becoming more apparent.

"Don't take this out on me," I say lividly, letting my temper get the better of me. "You let him. You could have stopped him if you wanted…"

"People like you are always saying that. It's not so easy."

"People like me? Well, people like you are in denial that they really want it, and when it happens, they go and feel sorry for themselves."

"I am not in denial. How could I ever want to love an arrogant bastard like…?"

"…love?" I ask in a low voice.

"Well…I…uh…I meant want to…make love…"

"Do you love him?" I ask in a whisper. She shakes her head, but I can tell she is lying.

"Answer my question, Tenten, please. Do you love him?" I repeat, my voice louder this time.

"No." _For such a good actress, she's doing a horrible job._

"Tenten…you love him. Just admit it. He knows it, too. That's why he did this to you. He was taking advantage of your feelings for him…"

"Sakura. Stop. Acting. Like. You. Know. Everything. Because. You. Don't." Her voice is exasperated. She looks as if she can't decide if she wants to go back and hide in her pillow or hit me.

"I'm not trying to. I'm trying to be a good friend and be there for you." _What is she saying?_

"If you were such a good friend, you would realize when to just shut up and leave me alone! I don't want to talk about it!"

"But we are already…"

"Just leave!" Tenten screams in my face.

I get up off her futon and turn away so I don't have to look at her hateful face any longer. I slide the door open and leave the room, not looking back at her. She could have been bluffing, not thinking I would really leave, but I don't care. I keep moving forward, farther away from my problems. It's actually really easy, just running away. It's so much easier than facing things like I normally do. I begin to wonder what I've been thinking all this time confronting my troubles.

"Have a quarrel with someone?" The question was asked politely enough, but there was something in the voice that made me want to hit them. _I really don't need this right now. Especially from him._

"Ah, Hyuga-sama, it is nothing," I say, turning but making sure not to look into his white eyes as I lie.

"Don't lie to me, Lady Shizuka. It isn't becoming."

"I do not know what you mean, Hyuga-sama," I say innocently. "Why would I ever lie to you?"

"Let's try this again," he says, his voice tense from trying not to lash out at me. "Were you having an argument?"

"Very well, I was."

"With who, may I ask?"

"A poor girl that you took advantage of," I say coldly.

"Oh, Tenten," he says as if he had to dig the name up from the deepest, darkest corners of his mind.

"Yes, Tenten…"

"Please don't go and make false accusations like you did Uchiha. It's quite annoying."

"What do you mean false accusations? And what about Uchiha-sama?"

Neji sighs tiredly, not wanting to explain everything to me. "I did not take advantage of her. I'm not one of the nobles that fool around with any woman." _Who's the one lying now. _

"Well, Tenten isn't any woman. You singled her out specifically because you knew she would be the easiest to manipulate with her feelings."

"Shut up," he orders.

"You have no right to tell me what to do!" I say indignantly.

"Well, you have no right to be nosing around in matters that don't concern you." _He did not just say that. I have every right to know what happened._

"So you're saying that matters that involve one of my best friends do not concern me?"

"Yes, but matters concerning the Uchiha do."

"What is that supposed to…?"

"Do you ever stop talking? Anyways, I shouldn't tell you this for your impudence, but Uchiha isn't one to just bed any attractive woman he sees either. If you remember, Uchiha is a samurai. I don't think sleeping around with women is in their code of conduct, do you?"

"Kiba said…"

"You're going to listen to someone who tried to rape you?"

"How did you…?"

"Nobles are quite well informed, almost as well as shirabyoshi, Lady Shizuka."

_I bet he doesn't have a well-worded explanation for this one. _"Then what about Rika? And anyways, you raped Tenten so you can't go around and accuse others."

"What about her?" He ignores my second comment.

"He was with her earlier, and before I went into the room to talk to Tenten, he went to her room."

"Are you sure you just haven't deceived yourself to believe that because of lack of certain pieces of information?"

"Yes, I am sure, Hyuga-sama. If you'll excuse me, I mustn't keep you any longer with my petty arguing. Forgive me." I bow very low to him. _I shouldn't have lost my temper. I always forget to act polite when I do._

"Good night, Lady Shizuka," he replies with the same distant formality.

I hurry away from him, but he stops me with an afterthought. "Oh, yes, don't go wandering about in the dark by yourself for too long. Dogs prowl around during this hour."

I defiantly start to walk down the hall away from my room but stop almost instantly with Neji's words. I shiver and look around nervously for life in the desolate hall. A creak makes me jump, and I sprint to the room again and slam the door behind me, not considering the fact someone might be asleep. Breathing heavily, I turn around slowly to survey the room and find Tenten sitting on the futon, watching me with eyes full of remorse. _No, do not give in. You are still fighting with her._

"You're right," she says abruptly. I stare at her blankly. _Since when was Tenten admit she is wrong? Even if there was evidence right in front of her nose that the sky is blue, if she thought it was green, she would stand by it. _"He approached me in the hall where you found me and kissed me. With all of my feelings, I couldn't refuse him. He said he loved me from the first time he saw me perform. He kissed me more, and then…"

"He wanted to have sex with you," I finish for her.

Tenten nods, her voice surprisingly steady. "I didn't want to. I felt everything was moving to fast. I wanted it, but at the same time…"

"So he forced you to have sex with him."

Tenten nods again. "It wasn't what I imagined it would be." Her voice is shaky this time.

I hurry to the futon and hug her, letting lean on my shoulder. "If the gods mean you to be with Neji, then things will fall into place at the right time, but if not, you'll be all right. You're strong."

I hear the door slide open, and I do my best to look over without moving too much. Ino and Sayuki are at the door, worried and confused. I mouth Neji's name, and a look of realization comes on Ino while Sayuki is still confused. Ino quietly creeps across the room to get ready to sleep, while Sayuki stands at the door, staring at us as if it would help her understand better. I must not have helped because she shrugs and goes over next to Ino to get into clothes suitable for sleeping.

Tenten pulls out of the embrace and smiles at me weakly. I smile back, assuming she means that she's as fine as she'll ever be. I get up off her futon, and then take a few steps to flop down onto mine. I don't bother removing my nice clothes. _I'm too tired to do anything right now except lay here and fall asleep. _I close my eyes to try and sleep, but the movement around the room is too distracting. I take off one of my shoes and hurl it in the direction of the noise. I hear Ino yelp, and I grin triumphantly, eyes still closed. _I win! _My victory lasts about five seconds before Ino throws the shoe back, and it lands squarely on my face. I groan and lift it away from my face, placing it beside me.

"You get what you deserve," Ino laughs.

"I hope Shikamaru picks Temari," I say, not thinking of the consequences of saying that.

"WHAT?!" Ino shrieks. _Bad idea. Really bad idea._

I open my eyes in time to see the hand fan flying at my face. I barely accomplish picking it out of the air, twirling it around as I wrap my fingers around it into a tight grip. _That was close. _Not many people realize this, but the fans that shirabyoshi use are really heavy. If I hadn't caught it, well, I probably would have had a broken nose. I look over at Ino, who is seething and grabbing a vase to throw at me.

"I was kidding! He would never pick someone like her." I say quickly as I raise my hands to protect my face.

Nothing hits me so I peek over my arms to look at Ino. She has let go of the vase and is nodding her head. I drop my arms completely to reveal my bemusement. Sayuki is practically choking as she tries to stifle her giggles, and Tenten is smiling genuinely.

"Yeah, you're right Sakura. He'd never go for someone like her. She is such a whore. He deserves someone better than that." _I'd never tell her this, but the chances of her and Shikamaru being together are as slim as Kiba coming to hate dogs._

I sigh and close my eyes again. _That was really close. It's a miracle I've known her for all this time, and my face is still intact. _Even with all the noise, I still manage to drift off into a light sleep, unfortunately filled with dreams of a certain noble…

* * *

**A/N: **Sighs unhappily. This chapter…didn't go as planned. There's nothing I can really say about it except that it's too…predictable? Strange? I've been trying to rewrite it, but I can't really think how to. Well, please review and tell me your opinions! Thanks! 


	6. An Artist Paints the Cherry Blossoms

I'd like to thank **Sayonara Solitaire**, **bo0bah, FakeCompassion**, **AngelFire Rei **(there will be some more hints of it but I'm trying to focus more on SasuSaku, even though it doesn't seem like it so far) **Sennyu Megami **(yeah, he went all the way with her…OO), **hellopanda23**, **oddity**, **french cries**, **Laura-chan**, **TennantFangirl**, and **freak a geek** for the reviews!!!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters. If I did, I would know what Kakashi looks like under that mask.

Light shines through a small window, flooding the room with gentle warmth. Sighing happily, I roll on my back and slowly open my eyes. I quickly close them again as I notice the ray of sunlight that rests on my face and groan loudly. _Who is shining that damn light in my face?_ I lay motionlessly on the futon, my eyes squeezed shut. _Ah…sun…right. _I tentatively open my eyes but not as wide this time; I squint as I look up at the ceiling. Slowly, my eyes adjust to the brightness of everything, and I sit up slowly, my body a little stiff from sleeping in the same position. It comes with being a shirabyoshi. You get trained to not move in your sleep because there are times when a shirabyoshi is required to sleep with her hair completely done. It is mostly just for when we are at court and have to be presentable at all times, even when we sleep. Who knows who might just barge in on us? Although, I always wondered why I had to do this because I wear a wig, but whenever I mentioned it, Kurenai-sensei smacked me on the side of the head with her fan.

I glance around the room and find that Tenten, Ino and Sayuki are gone. _Where did they go? Did everyone just leave without me?! Okay, Sakura, calm down. They wouldn't do that. They probably just got tired of trying to wake you up for breakfast and left without you._ Letting out a relieved sigh, I get up off the futon and stumble to the table that has all of our things we use to get ready. I groggily try to find the brush amidst all the clutter and after a little searching, succeed. I gently pull the brush through my pink hair, then holding up a hand mirror to look at my progress. Unsatisfied, I continue to brush my hair meticulously, doing my best to get it completely smooth and soft.

"Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, blanketing the countryside…"

I spin around, still holding the brush in my hair. I look around confusedly, almost sure I heard someone singing. Figuring it was just my imagination, I turn back to the table to pick up the hand mirror and examine myself again. _Good as it'll ever be. _I grab one of Ino's ribbons and tie my hair into a low ponytail. _I doubt she'll even know it's gone. She'll probably be thinking about Shikamaru too much to notice._

"As far as you can see. Is it a mist, or clouds…?"

I survey the room again, but I'm all alone. _Maybe last night left me a little paranoid… _I rummage around for some simple clothes to wear, and I eventually find a silk kimono. The fabric is a dark green covered with golden cranes hiding in forests of bamboo that is paired with a gold obi. It is the plainest kimono out of all of them, but I seem particularly drawn to it. _It's a little dull for a shirabyoshi like Lady Shizuka, but it suits Sakura just fine. _I hurriedly hide behind the changing screen to remove my old clothes to put the new ones on, even though no one is in the room. _Knowing my luck, Sasuke will come into the room and... _I blush furiously as I think of the possibilities of what could happen, and it flusters me so much, I struggle with tying my obi.

"Fragrant in the morning sun. Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, flowers in full bloom…"

_Who is singing? _I hurriedly pull tabis over my feet and then zori over them. I hear the voice again, and I realize that it's louder as I near the window. I quickly go to the window and lean my head out of it, straining my ears to hear the voice. _It's not too far… _I turn my head slowly from left to right, seeing if anyone was around. _Nobody's around. _Completely sure that no one is near, I climb through the window and jump onto the grass, landing feet first with a loud thud.

"Should young ladies really be jumping out of windows?" A toneless voice asks.

I turn and find a mysterious young man standing amidst the cherry blossoms, and at first, I wonder why I didn't see him. Thinking about it, I decide that the trees must have hidden him from that angle. I approach him slowly and see that he is standing behind an easel, which hides his face from me. I try to peer around it, but end up leaning too far and falling flat on my face into a pile of fallen petals. Groaning, I lift my head up and spit out some petals that managed to get into my mouth. I stand up without any of the grace I was trained to have and try to hide the tinge of pink on my face.

"I didn't know shirabyoshi were so clumsy."

_This guy is really asking for it. _"How did you know I was…?" I start to ask, trying to keep myself from snapping at him.

"Never seen you here before, and I heard that shirabyoshi were here. So, I assumed, and I was right. But that's not a surprise. Only a simpleton couldn't figure it out."

_He's so cocky, yet there is no emotion in his voice at all. He vaguely reminds me of someone…_

"Do you live here?" I ask, ignoring his calm arrogance.

"No, but I've been here enough."

"Then why…?"

"Lady Uchiha likes paintings, drawings and such, so she asks me to recreate whatever catches her eye."

"So, you're an artist, huh?"

"You are a smart one."

_That would be sarcasm if he wasn't devoid of intonation. _"So, what are you painting now?"

"The trees. Lady Uchiha likes the color."

I instinctively bring my hand up to my hair but drop it before it gets too far. Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I quietly move around the easel so I can look at the painting. I keep my distance and look over his shoulder at the canvas. I let out a quiet gasp, but he doesn't pay any attention to it and continues to paint. _It's…beautiful. _He might as well have taken a katana and cut out the scene with it, then placing it on the canvas. He matched the colors perfectly, making it so realistic.

"Like it?" He asks, taking his eyes away from his work to look at me.

I finally get a good look at him, and I have to admit, he's quite good looking. _Nothing compared to Sasuke, but…wait…WHAT?! _However, he seemed colder than Sasuke, but in a different way. Sasuke may be cold, but he still seems alive. When I look into this artist's eyes, I don't see any life in them. They are dull and sort of remind me of lumps of coal. I find this surprising for an artist. When I think of them, I imagine eccentric men in their thirties who barely make enough to live on and are full of such feeling about their work.

"It's wonderful," I reply, gushing a little. "Lady Uchiha will love it. So what are you going to call it?"

"I don't know. Nothing probably. I've never really felt anything about what I've drawn, so I've never felt compelled to name any of them."

"You've never name any of your work?" _Who the hell doesn't name there art? What kind of artist is he?_

"Isn't that what I just said?" He asks evenly.

"No, I assumed, and I was right," I mimic, doing my best to change my voice to sound like him. "But that's not a surprise. Only a simpleton couldn't figure it out."

"With your face like that, you really look like an old hag," he comments as if he were talking about the weather.

I step closer to him, glaring angrily at him; he shrinks back slightly, realizing that was a bad thing to say. _You would think someone would realize that calling a young woman a hag is a bad thing before they say it, but this guy seems like he doesn't know how to talk with people so that they would want to be friends with him. Hmm… Oh, well. I'll beat the shit out of him. _I raise a fist menacingly, my gaze intensifying. He doesn't look frightened, but he is at least smart enough to know that my fist plus his face equals a world of hurt. He lifts his arms over his face to protect himself and waits for me to hit him. I start to send my fist towards him but stop it midway. _It's not worth it if he doesn't even react._

I sigh in annoyance and drop my arm to my side. He peers over his arm and sees I'm not going to attack him any more. He lowers his shield and observes me closely. _What's he staring at. Does he WANT me to hurt him? _He cocks his head to the side, examining from a different angle. He suddenly begins to circle around me, looking at me from head to toe. I jump to conclusions and feel my fist tighten, but as I watch him, I notice that he doesn't have that strange gleam in his eyes that men normally do when they want a woman.

"You would make a very nice subject," he says finally after he finishes observing me.

"Thank you?" _Is that a compliment? This guy is really weird._

"Would you let me paint you?" He asks.

"Um…well…" _What a strange question to ask._

"Sai, don't you think you'd better get that painting to my mother? It looks done to me."

_Just what I need, another one that lacks emotion._

"Ah, forgive me, Yoshitsune-sama. I forgot my purpose for being here. I was just intrigued by this young lady; she would make a lovely subject…"

Sasuke folded his arms, not having the patience to listen to the artist babble on with false politeness. "Sai, give the painting to my mother and go be intrigued somewhere else," he orders coldly.

Sai bows and hurriedly grabs his painting from the easel, not retorting like he had when he had talked to me. He chances one last look at me and distorts his face to an awkward position. _Is that…a smile? _Before I can decide, he disappears from my sight, leaving me in the cherry tree grove with Sasuke. _This is going to be fun. _Sasuke keeps silent but moves over to the easel, examining it. _He's probably thinking about the best way to chop it up with his katana. _I turn my back to him and sit down on the ground, not really caring that I'm not sitting properly. Ignoring Sasuke, I focus on the petals falling from the branches like snow and sigh happily. A song comes to mind, and I don't stop myself from singing it. I don't feel like ruining my good mood for good manners.

"Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, blanketing the countryside, as far as you can see. Is it mist, or clouds? Fragrant in the morning sun. Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, flowers in full bloom…"

My voice fades away as I notice that I'm not the only one singing. There had been a warm, deep voice accompanying me the whole time. I can barely hear it if I listen carefully enough; it's barely above a whisper. As I listen, I feel a grin trying to form on my lips. It reminds me of a small child sitting under the blossoms and singing innocently with his mother as they watch them fall. _Well, if the it's possible for a small child to have the voice of someone who's gone through puberty… _

"…Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, across the spring sky, as far as you can see. Is it mist, or clouds? Fragrant in the morning sun. Come now, come, let's look at last."

I take a deep breath and fill my nose with the fragrance. I close my eyes contently as I feel the happiness filling me up. Everything feels right, sitting here under the cherry trees and taking their beauty in. _I don't think I could possibly happier than this. Sasuke hasn't even ruined it…Actually, for some reason, I don't think I'd be this happy if he wasn't here. _I feel warmth rush to my cheeks and a swelling sensation in my chest. I bring my knees to my body, as if to contain it and bury my head in my knees to hide the blush. _There I go, thinking stupid things like that again._

"You fit in with them," Sasuke observes, stating it as a fact, not a compliment. He is oblivious to the fact that my contentment is shattered to pieces by his abrupt statement.

"Um, duh…the hair…" _Isn't he supposed to be a genius or something…?_

Sasuke chuckles briefly before he replies, "Yeah, you're hair fits in with them too, but I said _you_ fit in with them." _Wait…did he just…laugh? Dear Buddha, please have mercy on this poor soul when you end the world!_

"I still don't follow," I say unsurely, still trying to get over the fact that he had laughed.

Sasuke sighs tiredly. _He always does this when he has to explain something. He should just explain it the first time and make it easier on himself. _"You're happy."

"I'm always…"

"No," he interrupts, "your mask is painted with a happy expression." _He…understands._

"For once…I might just agree with you," I admit, actually not displeased with the fact.

"Hn." _WHAT?! He FINALLY speaks full sentences to me and then when the conversation starts to become meaningful he uses that…that…that…I don't know what that is._

I groan aloud, perturbed that he ruined not only my mood but the conversation. "I bet that's the most you've talked in months."

"Hn." _Scratch that. The most he's talked in a year._

Deciding not to reply, I try to catch a blossom that was falling from the branch. I clasp my fingers around it, but I crush the petals into a pitiful mass of pink. I sigh disappointedly and attempt to catch another one. This time, I make sure my grip isn't as viselike; I'm able to catch one and only slightly damage it. I keep playing my game while there is a lull in our conversation brought about by us having nothing more to say besides arguing but being completely fine with that.

"Damn," Sasuke mutters.

"What?" I ask, turning my head slightly so I can see him.

I see him with a paint brush with paint dripping from the bristles in his hand. Paint is splattered on the ends of his sleeves, but he doesn't seem to mind. There is also a streak of black paint across his cheek. _Aw, it makes him look kind of cute. _His head is cocked to one side as he looks at the canvas, obviously not happy with what's on it. I start to stand up to take a look, but I feel something wet land on my face. _That better not be what I think it is. _I take my hand and wipe it across my face, smearing the liquid all over. I pull my hand down to get a look at it, and my hand is black.

"I'm not done," he informs me, not noticing my look of shock at the fact I just had paint flung in my face.

"You…" I start, shaking with uncontrollable rage, "are…going…to…die."

He looks over at me with a raised eye brow that says I'd like to see you try. Taking the challenge, I lunge for a container of paint before he can stop me and toss its contents at Sasuke. He dodges it easily and watches it land in the grass, turning it blue. That doesn't stop me. I grab another container and throw the paint at him. This time, I don't miss, and the red paint lands perfectly on his face and in his hair. I laugh at the fact that he's covered in paint and that he looks really angry, but my laughter is cut short as I see him reach for another container. _Damn._

He disappears suddenly, and I feel an arm wrapped around my waist. I try to wriggle free of his grasp, but it's futile. He grips me tighter to stop me from squirming, and I gasp slightly. The gasp turns into a squeal as I feel paint pouring onto my head and sliding down my back. I'm frozen with my mouth agape. _I can't believe I have paint all over my hair and on my kimono. It'll take forever to get out of my hair, but the kimono's ruined. Damn it! This thing was expensive!_

"Green is your color," Sasuke says smugly into my ear, his breath tickling it.

I stop staring dazedly and step lividly on his foot, making him release me. I grab another color and tackle Sasuke, sending us both to the ground. I open with paint container quickly and raise it over him menacingly, but he isn't that intimidated. Actually, he is smirking, and I can't understand why. _What the…oh…I'm on…and he's…and we're… _Upon this recognition, I drop the can of paint and scramble to get off of him, my face as bright as the red paint on Sasuke. I subtly try to hide my red face my looking intently at a blade of grass but fail. Sasuke doesn't comment and sits up easily, as if I had never collided into him.

"You ruined my clothes," he says bluntly.

"You can buy new ones!" I scream. "Look at mine! Do you know how much it costs to buy a kimono?!"

"Hn."

"Damn noble," I mumble, calming myself down a little.

Sasuke shrugs and gets up off the ground. He looks at me for a moment, and at first, he is stoic but smirks soon after. I glower at him, and he easily returns that piercing stare that comes so natural to him. I waver, admitting my defeat, and satisfied with that, Sasuke noiselessly strides away from the cherry trees, leaving me on the ground fuming. I glare at him malevolently as his figure becomes smaller as the distance between us grows larger. When I can't see him anymore, I look around at the paint-splattered grass and begin to laugh.

Reminded of the canvas, I stand up by using the tree for support. Consumed with curiosity, I go over to the easel to look at what he had been doing. I feel my breath suddenly leave me. I stare at it, disconcerted by his subject. I blink slowly and move closer to it, as if I had seen it wrong. I turn around to see if Sasuke might be there; I want to ask him.

The painting was done quickly, and it didn't compare to Sai's; but it was still wonderful. There are cherry trees everywhere with their blossoms falling onto the ground. There, under it, was me. I was sitting and looking up at the tops of the trees, much like I had been earlier. In one hand is a mask that is decorated how shirabyoshi do their makeup, while the other is trying to catch a blossom. It appears to be done by someone who knows me very well because it seems to reveal my every thought and every feeling. The thought of someone being able to understand me deeply scares me, especially someone like him.

I shakily grab the picture, careful not to touch any of the wet paint. I keep staring at it admiringly, not wanting to take my gaze off of it. _Why do I feel like this because of a painting? How stupid. _Still, I can't wipe the ridiculous smile on my face. _He's probably secretly planning something with this, anyways. He is a noble after all. It's likely he just did this to charm me so that I'd just hop into his bed when he snapped his fingers. It seems like something he would do. He probably used something like this on Rika. _

"I knew you'd be a great subject." _Sai. _"Who painted you? Do I know him?"

I consider how to answer him for a moment. "You've never heard of him before," I say. _It seems like a lie, but it's really true. Sai only knows Yoshitsune-sama, and he didn't do this. Sasuke did._

"What a shame," Sai says, and I swear I hear a slight bit a disappointment. I may have been imagining it. "Oh, by the way, what happened here? All my paints are wasted."

_Shit._

"Uh, well, the artist and I got in a fight and…you know…"

"Some fight," Sai comments and I nod while backing away slowly, hoping to escape before he mentions anything about me paying him back for all of his supplies that we wasted..

"Well, it was nice to me you, Sai-san," I say quickly, waving as I back away hurriedly.

"Yeah, but before you go, what's that on your arm?" Sai asks. _Paint…isn't that obvious?_

"Well, that would be paint," I say slowly as if explaining to a child.

Sai shakes his head and points to a particular place on my arm. I raise it up so I can look at it easily. My eyes widen and then they are filled with rage as I understand what is on my arm. Sai waits for me to answer, but I am too angry to do so. I simply read my arm over and over again.

* * *

**A/N:** So…what did you think? Sasuke is…different. Haha, I can't really imagine him painting… and it's not a SasuSaku filled as I would like, but I still kind of like the way it came out. anyways, please review! Constructive criticism is appreciated too. Thanks!

Oh yeah, the song that they were singing is a Japanese folk song called Sakura.

Another thing, this chapter wasn't meant to be SaiSaku. They don't feel anything for each other at all. He was just in there…because…to set things up I guess.


	7. A Declaration of Ownership

I'd like to thank **Laura-chan**, **Tenshi no Hana-chan**, **TennantFangirl**, **DeidaraAddiction**, **les-liaisons-dangereuses** (well, all of the shirabyoshi and geisha I've heard of never got married. They were just mistresses to nobles), **KonohaNinja93**, **Blackblossom93**, **Eiji.K.lover123**, **oddity**, **2supersmart**, **kt**, **iigaken**, **Sennyu Megami**, **Sayonara Solitaire**, **FakeCompassion**, **freak a geek** (Sai first appears in chapter 281 in the manga and you see him in the first episode of Naruto shippuuden in the beginning scene when they show Team Kakashi meeting Sasuke), **hellopanda23, ****Bee-Leaf86** (well now that you mention it, when I was looking up some info on Shizuka,Yoshitsune, and shirabyoshi, some stuff about that came up saying that it was a pop culture reference to them) and **bo0bah** for the reviews. I appreciate your feedback a lot.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

I slide into the warm, steamy water of the bath and let out a sigh. _Ah, this feels good. _I lower my body deeper until only my eyes peek out above the water and breathe out, creating tiny bubbles. As I rise up, I grab some soap to scrub my green hair, which I have Sasuke to thank for. I vigorously wash my hair, but it takes three more times to finally get all the paint out of my hair. I scowl as I realize I've barely begun to get the paint off of me. I grab more soap to scour my arms but stop momentarily to look at the words written in black paint.

"Property of Uchiha Yoshitsune," I read in disgust, glowering at the words. _Yeah right! Who the hell does he think he is?! I am NOT his property!_

"Damn right," a voice says smugly from behind me.

I gasp and cover myself the best I can. "Excuse me! I'm taking a bath if you haven't noticed! LEAVE!" _What the hell is he doing here?! He better leave if he knows what's good for him._

"Hn," he replies as comes around and sits by the edge of the bath.

I feel a blush warming my cheeks to match my hair, and I curl up closer to myself. I see a smirk on his face and want to slap it off of him; he is close enough, but my current predicament makes that problematic. So, I settle for scowling at him hoping that if I do that long enough, he will leave. Sasuke ignores it and dips his fingers into the water and runs them through it. _What is he going to do?_ I instinctively cringe as his hand comes closer to me and open my mouth to scream. _Say something! Move! Do anything!_ Nothing comes out, so I stare at him stupidly and simply wish that I could say something to stop him. I wait for his violating touch, but all I feel is his hand pushing away a loose strand of wet hair from my face.

I feel my body come out of shock and begin to quiver uncontrollably for reasons unknown to even myself. I avert my eyes from Sasuke and bite my lip in hopes that it'll stop my shaking. Closing my eyes, I take in deep breaths to relax myself, but I'm doing a poor job. Unexpectedly, I feel a cool hand on my neck, and my muscles become tense. The hand slowly massages my neck, and my muscles loosen. I open my eyes and look at Sasuke, who is watching my face very intently.

"So that's what you think of me," he says aloofly, not letting me know what he is feeling.

"Uh…well…" I stutter, not sure what to say and trying to ignore the how good it feels to have him rub my neck.

"Whatever," Sasuke says, removing his hand from my neck and placing it by his side.

"Wh-what did you come for?" I manage to ask him while still looking at his face.

Sasuke doesn't reply to my question but rises from his sitting position. "Didn't mean to scare you," he mutters gruffly.

Before I can respond, he turns around quickly and hurriedly steps out of the room, leaving me to stare at the closed door. _Of course he scared me… Some nerve he has coming in here like that._ Tearing my eyes away from the doorway, I scrub all the paint off my body, which took a long time because there was a lot of it. Now clean, I step out of the warm water into the cool air. I hastily grab a towel and dry myself off before putting on my yukata. Exiting the bath, I enter my room and struggle to tie my obi as I walk. _Damn obi._

"Let me help you with that," a deep voice offers, coming up behind me and pulling the obi from my fingers.

His warm breath on my neck makes my skin tingle, and I blush furiously while staring at my feet. I feel his hands skillfully tie the obi around my waist, and my face heats up even more, now many times darker than my hair. I hear giggles, and I look up confusedly to find Ino lying on her stomach on a futon with her chin resting in her hands while Tenten and Sayuki sit next to a forgotten deck of cards. They obviously find us more entertaining than their card games. My eyes dart from one face to another, and I silently plead for them to leave. They all shake their heads and try to hold in their laughter. _They are so going to get it when Sasuke leaves._

"Done," he says into my ear, his lips tickling me. _I wish he wouldn't do that. It's really hard to think._

"Um…uh…Th-thank you…Yoshitsune-sa-sama," I say politely, trying to force my clouded mind to think.

"Hn."

"So, did you two have a nice _conversation_? Ino asks slyly, her eyes glinting. _I am going to kill her!_

"Annoying," I hear Sasuke say under his breath so that only I hear.

"Ino-pig," I say threateningly, but I'm not very convincing with my bright red face.

"Yes, forehead?" She asks sweetly.

To my surprise, Sasuke bows to them and addresses them. "Forgive me, my dear ladies, but there is something that I must discuss with Lady Shizuka in private." The politeness is forced, and the strain in his voice is obvious. "If you would excuse us…"

Sasuke doesn't wait for them to say anything back but puts a hand on my lower back, leading me quickly out the door. I glance over my shoulder to see Ino quite taken aback. I open my mouth to call something out to her, but Sasuke nearly shoves me out the door and slides the door shut very loudly. He watches the door suspiciously for a moment before turning back to look at me, his eyes unreadable.

"What is your problem?!" I hiss. "What makes you think you can label me as your property?! And what right do you have barging in like that?! Now, they think that we…you know…"

"You owe me," he says simply, his gaze not faltering. _I really wish he wouldn't stare at me like that…Wait…Owe?_

"What are you talking about?" I ask exasperatedly.

Sasuke takes his eyes off of me and looks up thoughtfully. He then drops his eyes down to stare at me again. "Well, I painted you that picture, so you have to pay me for my service. Secondly, the supplies I used and the ones you wasted. Thirdly, my kimono is ruined so you are required to replace it. Finally, the imported soap that was required to get all that damn paint out of my hair." _WHAT?! I didn't ask him to paint that stupid picture! And it's not my problem he's too slow to dodge paint. Anyways, what about MY kimono? It's ruined too!_

I feel my fist clench together and a satisfying thought of sending him into the wall comes through my mind. "I do NOT owe you anything. Pay for it yourself."

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes," I snap and turn to open the door, but Sasuke grabs my wrist and yanks me back towards him so that I face him, looking directly into his dark eyes. _Dear Buddha, I think my knees are going to give out._

"You took it wrong. I expect payment." His voice is firm.

"I don't have enough to pay for all that," I admit sheepishly.

"I assumed as much. So, since you lack the sufficient funds, you are now my slave. Basically, I own you." He smirks widely and lifts up my arm to point at the spot where he had written those words. _Hell no! I am not going to be this guy's slave. There is no damn way!_

I roughly pull my hand away from him. "I dare you to give me an order. Go ahead and try," I challenge before turning to open the door.

Sasuke doesn't stop me this time, and I practically throw the door open. There figures grunt as they fall forward on their faces. Ino, Tenten and Sayuki had been eavesdropping the whole time. I roll my eyes and step over them easily. I let them scramble back inside before slamming the door shut in Sasuke's face. _That felt good. _I hadn't completely let out my anger on Sasuke or the door, so I turn on the others.

"I can't believe you were listening!" I exclaim. "Can't I have any privacy?

"How'd you expect us not to?" Ino asks. "There was something big going on, and you were right there. I mean come on." _I probably would have listened in to…but that's not the point._

"Come on, Sak, don't take it out on us," Tenten begs, giving me a feeble smile, trying to soothe me before I let my temper get the best of me.

I comply with her request with some difficulty and sigh as I drop onto the nearest futon. "Sorry."

"Never mind that! What was he talking about?" Ino asks excitedly as she sits by me on the futon.

"We had a paint fight…" I start reluctantly, but I'm interrupted by their gasps.

"You _fought_ with a noble?" They say at the same time.

"Yeah…I guess I did," I say pensively. "He just brings out the worst in me, and I forget to be Lady Shizuka. I always act like Sakura around him, but he doesn't really seem to mind."

Ino and the others giggle, and I raise an eyebrow questioningly. "What's so funny?" I ask.

"I think Sakura is in love," Sayuki says mischievously. "No one makes you forget to act proper, and I mean no one."

"Uh…NO!" I yell. "I would never love a bastard like that!"

"Don't lie to us, Sak," says Tenten. "Just admit it."

"There's no use hiding it, forehead!" Ino says audaciously in a singsong voice.

"I. Do. Not. Love. Yoshitsune."

Ino opens her mouth to tease me some more, but the door slides open; we all turn to look at who it could be and find Kurenai-sensei standing there. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we're leaving quite soon. I would recommend gathering your things quickly."

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei," we reply in unison.

I rise off the futon and busy myself with collecting my things except for my makeup, costume and wig. If you come in this grand parade, you have to leave with same dignity. The others follow my actions, but I know they are all grinning and trying not to say anything about our conversation from before. _I hope Buddha strikes Sasuke down with a bolt of lightning. I can't believe he thinks that I would be his slave! I am a person with feelings! Not something that can be owned and forced to do things against their will._

"So, I wonder if we'll be performing at the Uchiha household next," Tenten speculates, causing me to freeze in my tracks.

"What do you mean?" I say as calmly as I can, trying to distract myself by gathering a stray kimono on the ground.

"Well, he _did_ say you would have to repay him. So, the only way he could get you to come anywhere close to him is for us to perform at some event hosted by the Uchihas. We would be at their estate for a while." Ino and Sayuki nod at Tenten's logic.

_I never thought of that. I…I just thought that when I leave the palace, I wouldn't have to deal with him…but there is always the possibility that Sasuke convinces Lord and Lady Uchiha to hire us… But what are the odds that they have an event like that coming up so soon? By the time they need to hire entertainment for something, I'm sure that Sasuke will have forgotten everything…I think._

"That would work in theory," I say as confidently as possible.

"What do you mean?" Tenten asks, obviously perplexed.

"Well, what are the odds that they would have an event coming up so soon that they would need entertainment for? I highly doubt it. By the time they do need us, he won't remember this at all. The only way it would work is if…"

"Yoritomo-sama's birthday is in a few days!" Takako squeals as she throws open our door with Rika, Katsumi, Mieko, and Yasu all giggling behind her. "It's going to be this huge event! And guess who is going to be the entertainment?!" _Oh, dear Buddha, I can't breathe._

I swallow hard before answering. "Us?" I say quietly.

"YES!" The fan girls scream in unison, jumping up and down happily.

"What did I tell you," Tenten says triumphantly.

"I can't believe we will be staying at the Uchiha estate!" Katsumi exclaims.

"We'll be able to spend time with Yoshitsune-sama every day!" Rika gushes. "Oh, he is so amazing!" _If you don't stop talking, I will punch you so hard that whatever brains you do have will fly out._

Mieko clasps her hands together and brings them to her chest. "Don't forget Yoritomo-sama! He's gorgeous!"

"But not as gorgeous as Yoshitsune-sama!" The others chime in unison.

I feel a frown trying to form on my face as I listen. _They are disgusting. They are like a pack of dogs, drooling all over him and chasing him like that. _"Shouldn't you go tell everyone else the great news?" I suggest, hoping they will agree and just go away.

They giggle excitedly and dash down the hall, enthusiastic to break the news to the unaware. I sigh tiredly and turn to the mirror to put my powder on. I'm about to brush the powder on my cheeks, but I stop as I feel two precenses hovering over my shoulder. I look over both to see Tenten and Ino, smiling roguishly at me. I raise my eyebrows to ask what they are smiling at, and they giggle silently at their inside joke.

"You looked like you were going to hurt them, Sa. Ku. Ra. Chan," Tenten says teasingly.

"I think you were jealous that they were talking about your Yoshitsune-sama…or should I say…Sasuke-kun?" Ino puts in, poorly hiding her mirth.

"I was not jealous," I growl as I continue putting on my powder, covering my face until it is pure white. _I do NOT call him Sasuke-kun. What am I? Twelve?_

"I beg to differ," Ino laughs, patting me on the shoulder lightly.

"Don't try to hide it, Sak. We're on to you!" Tenten shouts childishly.

"Shut up," I snap viciously as I reach for the red paint for my lips.

I dip my brush into the liquid and raise it to apply it to my lips, but I stop in midair as I observe the paint carefully. A picture of Sasuke covered in red paint from head to toe in paint comes to my mind. I small smile comes to my lips as I stare at the brush nostalgically. Laughter breaks me out of my trance, and my smile transforms into a scowl. I continue placing the paint carefully on my lips.

"Were you thinking about Sasuke-kun?" Ino says dramatically, spinning around with her wig and then clutching her hands to her heart.

I ignore them and finish my makeup, needing extra effort not to mess up and have to start all over again. Once satisfied, I neatly tuck my pink hair into my wig and examine myself in the mirror. _Back to being Lady Shizuka. _I go behind the screen and change into my costume silently as I listen to Tenten and Ino ramble on about Sasuke and me. I roll my eyes in boredom; their teasing is getting old because Sasuke and I don't feel anything for each other. Sasuke is interested in that Rika girl; he only puts up with me because he finds me amusing to pester at times when he is bored and can't be with Rika. I put up with that arrogant bastard because I can act like myself for a change.

I step out from behind the changing screen to find Ino, Tenten and Sayuki standing with their things, ready to leave. I noiselessly grab my belongings and lead the way to the stables with my friends following, gossiping happily. This time, I somehow know where I am going and find the stables without problem. I leave the group of chatting girls to find Yuki chomping away at a mouthful of hay. I give him a cluck, and he lazily but obediently walks slowly up to me. I pet his head affectionately as he stares at me with his large eyes.

"Let me help you saddle him up," someone offers.

I turn and see Kakashi holding Yuki's saddle, and I smile at him gratefully. He nods and steps into the stall carefully, making sure not to disturb Yuki. With a swing of his arms, he lifts the saddle onto Yuki's back and places it down as gently as possible. Yuki snorts slightly as the saddle touches his back, but overall, he is unaffected. Kakashi proceeds to tighten the girth around the horse's barrel, making sure the saddle will stay in place.

"I thought you were going to win that paint fight," Kakashi says, not looking up from the girth.

I blush at this. "You were there?"

"I'm his guard. If I didn't watch him, he would get into all sorts of trouble…well, at least more than usual."

His light and casual manner makes me forget my embarrassment and relax. "How do you stand him?" I ask boldly. "I mean, he's an arrogant noble that thinks he can order around whoever he wants and get whatever he wants." I cover my mouth with my hands, shocked that Lady Shizuka said that.

Kakashi chuckles softly as he adjusts the stirrups slightly. "So, he thinks he owns you, huh?"

"Yes," I say wearily.

"Want to know the secret?" Kakashi asks, turning away from the saddle and looking at me questioningly, his eyes amused.

"What?" I say eagerly, moving a little closer to the stall door.

"Yoshitsune never loses, so he has started to lose respect for people and treats them as if they are beneath him in everything. He tends to think that people are his to order around and lord over because he is 'superior.' He has the least respect for women, though. He thinks they are the weakest of all, and so he treats them like slaves and calls them property."

"That's your secret?" I say disappointedly.

"Don't be so hasty. I didn't finish," he orders. "However, Yoshitsune has lost to three people in his life, and they are the only people he has some respect for in one way or another. They are the only people he doesn't treat like shit, besides the emperor of course."

"Who are they? Tell me!" I demand. _Who could possibly defeat Sasuke? He's the strongest and quickest person I've ever seen._

Kakashi holds up one finger. "The first would be his father, Lord Uchiha." Kakashi holds up a second finger. "Second is his brother, Uchiha Yoritomo. Yoshitsune's goal is to beat his brother no matter what the cost." He finally holds up three fingers in the air. "The third would be…well me."

"You beat Sasuke?!" I cry with obvious disbelief. _Oops…that was mean. But this guy beat Sasuke? How? I mean, he is in his thirties!_

A hurt expression comes on Kakashi's eyes. "Is it that hard to believe?"

"A little," I say sheepishly, and Kakashi sighs.

"Well, I now know with that little outburst you know his name is Sasuke so I don't have to keep remembering to call him Yoshitsune. But back to the point. To summarize all that I said, to get Sasuke to respect you…beat the shit out of him."

"That's all?"

"Oh, so now you think it's easy because I did it?" Kakashi says darkly, but his eyes betray him and show amusement.

"I didn't mean to offend…"

"All set," Kakashi interrupts me from apologizing, handing the reins.

"Thank you," I say as he exits the stall and strides away from me, not sure if I'm thanking him for helping the night before, for saddling Yuki, for giving me advice, or all of the combined.

He raises an arm in acknowledgement as he moves farther away towards the exit. "Don't go and get yourself killed trying to earn his respect. I don't need your death on my conscience."

I giggle as I watch him turn the corner and vanish from sight. _It seems like Sasuke would get easily annoyed at a guy with that kind of attitude. Then again, if I was around him all the time, I probably wouldn't be able to stand him either. _With an encouraging cluck, I give the reins a gentle tug, alerting Yuki to walk forward out of the stall. I maneuver him out into the row between all the stalls and lead him towards the exit.

"Hurry up, dearies!" Anko-sensei screeches at us. _I wonder if she was a drill sergeant in a past life…_

"You heard her, Pinky. Get a move on." _Damn. I thought I would be able to leave without him knowing._

"My name is not _Pinky_."

"Whatever, Pinky, but you really didn't think I would let you leave without saying goodbye, did you?" Sasuke says, stepping out from the shadows.

"I hoped," I snarl.

"It wouldn't have mattered so much, anyway. I would just see you in a couple of days."

"I wouldn't be so sure," I remark defiantly.

"Oh, but I have every confidence that you will be there," he informs me, lifting my chin with his hand.

I jerk my head away and glare at him intensely, displeased that he touched me. "Get your hands off."

"Hn."

"Don't even start," I warn, my voice becoming murderous.

A smirk appears on his face but his voice is tense. "You shouldn't be the one giving orders. If I recall, you are in my debt."

I snap and drop my horse's reins; I push him up against the wall and draw my tachi, eyeing him menacingly. His smirk widens as he watches me seethe, and it doesn't appear to bother him at all that he is being threatened. Startled, Yuki shifts his weight nervously, not liking my sudden actions and my anger. Normally, I would have stopped trying to kill Sasuke with my glare and soothed him, but I was way past my ability to be normal. I leaned in closer to make my stare have more impact, but Sasuke still finds it amusing.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Property." _Hell yeah! Tell him who is boss! He can't order me around! No way!_

I see his face lose its amused expression, and it becomes just as intense as mine. I cringe slightly under it, and he takes the opening instantly. He pushes me away, but before I get too far, he shoves me against the wall so I'm the one who has to be under his gaze. My tachi clatters to the floor noisily, causing Yuki to whinny unhappily. He puts both arms on either side of my head and stares at me with his dark eyes. I'm hypnotized by them, even though I want to pull away from them in fear.

"I think you are," he says harshly. "What are you going to do about it? Cry? Listen, Sakura, you are mine. Understand? You do what I want, when I want. Got it? Unless you think you are strong enough to defy me."

"Bastard," I hiss, tears welling up my eyes.

"Hn."

_This is too much. Why can't he just leave me alone? _"Fine, I'm yours! You own me! Are you happy?!" I sob, gasping between words because I'm crying so hard. "Will you go away now?!"

After a pause, he says bitterly, "You're just like all the others. They all submit to me easily, whether it is willingly or after a reminder of my strength and power over them. I had thought you to be formidable, but I was wrong."

_I didn't know a person like this existed. _"Excuse me? Just because I don't want to be lorded over and treated like someone's property, doesn't mean that I'm weak or scared of you. Why does everything you do have to be a display of strength and superiority? Are you so scared of being weak that you have to remind yourself everyday of your strength by treating people like they can be walked all over?"

Sasuke doesn't even grace me with a "Hn" and doesn't turn to face me.

"If this was all just to test yourself and see if there was a women who could stand up to your strength, then I regret every moment I've spent with you. But if you can say for one moment that you just spent time with me because you liked me and enjoyed my company…then maybe we could be friends…maybe I wouldn't be in such pain right now…"

The stables are dead silent as I wait for Sasuke's reply.

"Hn."

I bite my lip to stop the new wave of tears from coming, but they fall anyways. With tears filling my eyes, I stumble to Yuki and clamber onto her back clumsily, almost falling off. I drunkenly reach for the reins, and as soon as my fingers catch the leather, I kick Yuki's sides hard, causing him to gallop down the row. I thunder out the stables and fly right by the group of shirabyoshi who had been waiting for me at the entrance gate.

"Shizuka!" Anko-sensei calls frantically, trying to get me to stop.

I don't listen. I just keep going.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, how was that? Was Sasuke too OOC? Please review with your criticism or just feedback in general. Thanks! 


	8. A Failure to Avoid a Dreaded Meeting

I'd like to thank **bo0bah,** **FakeCompassion, TennantFangirl, 2supersmart, MintiNeko, hellopanda23, musagirl15, Sennyu Megami, Oo.cherry-chan.oO, Laura-chan, kazster** (yeah, she did have her sword, but she dropped it),** DeidraAddiction** (Thanks for telling me. I didn't think of that until you mentioned it. I'll be sure to put the translations up this chapter if needed), **kt, Eiji.K.lover123, AngelFire Rei, oddity, Sayonara Solitaire, freak a geek, les-liaisons-dangereuses,** **lacusclien4** (well, I put Sai in there because someone wondered if he would be in this fic, and after thinking about it I came up with the paint fight; the thing is that I'm not too caught up in the manga so I really don't know Sai's personality too well, just the gist of it. That's the reason I hesitated to have Sai be a character in this in the first place, even if he is a minor character) **Starlight – Wild Koneko, KonohaNinja93, sakura4594, **and **MarketRush** for the reviews!!!!

**Disclaimer:** Insert clever phrase that states I don't own Naruto here

_Everything's black…_

_Am I dead…? _

_No, I wouldn't hurt this much if I was dead. Great Buddha, I have a bad headache._

My eyes flutter open, and the blackness that I had been engulfed in disappears slowly, allowing me to take in my surroundings. The only thing I can see is the dark gray clouds and the rain that is falling on my face. I have no idea where I am. All I know is that I am cold, wet, lost and in a hell of a lot of pain. I try to sit up, but my weak arms and a white muzzle gets in my way. I glance over to see Yuki nudging me with his soft nose, making sure I'm all right. I smile at him affectionately and settle myself back down on the hard ground. I grimace as I realize I'm resting in a large puddle and feel it seeping deeper into my already damp kimono.

"What did I do to deserve this?" I croak. _That bastard should be the one with bad karma, not me._

"This never would have happened if you didn't fight back…"

"What in Buddha's name are you doing here, Kakashi-san?" I groan, not caring to contemplate how he magically appears whenever I need help.

He conveniently forgets to answer me as he checks me for any injuries. _Fine, just ignore my questions. _Appearing to be satisfied that I am nothing more than bruised, he helps me sit up. I groan as my sore muscles move and shoot him dirty look. He grins slightly at my annoyance but continues to lift me up so that he is carrying me as Western men carry their brides. Normally, I would have blushed at this, but it is Kakashi-san for Buddha's sake. I could never feel something for someone who I imagine my older brother would have been like if I had had one. Anyways, Kakashi-san is so…old. Well, he's not that old, but he is compared to me. _He was probably sleeping with women when I was about ten years old…Ew…why did that come into my head…?_

I let my head rest on his chest, and he is unfazed by this; he doesn't even look down at me. He simply starts to walk but where I'm not sure; I really don't care, as long as I can be warm and dry. I glance up at his masked face with grateful eyes, and he notices, briefly looking down to smile. _At least, it looks like he smiled. It's always so hard to tell with that mask on. Hmmm…I wonder why he wears it in the first place. Maybe he is disfigured and hideous…or maybe he has fish lips…or ridiculously large front teeth…or he was scarred because of a tragic accident? I wonder… _As I think, I didn't notice my hand slowly reaching up to slide the mask off of his face. I feel a hand lazily slap my hand away, and I realize what I was doing.

"Uh…well…I…" I stutter pathetically, trying to find some excuse for why my hand was slowly creeping toward his face. _There IS no way to cover this up! Why am I such an idiot?_

"So this whole thing was some elaborate scheme set up so you could see under my mask? I'm flattered, but really…to go to such lengths…Don't you think it was a little much?" He looks completely serious, but his eyes give away his amusement.

"Bastard," I mumble as I hit him hard on the chest, but he doesn't flinch.

"Can't you take a joke? And honestly, is that the way you should treat someone who rescued you?"

I start to laugh but become serious as I process his words. The mirth in his eyes fades as he looks at my thoughtful expression. "Why are you so serious all of a sudden?" He asks.

"Why did you come for me?" I ask quietly.

"Sasuke was worried about you…" he starts.

"He was?!" I ask excitedly, but I remember our argument and repeat myself with an indifferent voice.

"He didn't show anything, but…." _I should have known he wouldn't care. I could go sleep with half of Heian's men, and he wouldn't care. I could jump off a cliff, and he wouldn't notice. I could get killed by a ninja, and he would even blink. I could drink poison…_

"Egotistical, power-hungry bastard," I hissed, spitting the words out hatefully.

Kakashi-san was quiet for a moment before responding. "I bet if you felt only that about him, you wouldn't be in so much pain…" His voice is quiet as he says this, and the words trail off into silence.

"Are you saying that I…?" My voice becomes dangerous, daring him to explain what he had said. _He better not be thinking what I think he is thinking, especially if he knows what is good for him._

"Isn't this where you live?" He asks, evading another one of my questions. _Damn, he is good at slithering out of things!_

I turn my head, and sure enough, I see the house. I nod to confirm this, even though I'm sure he already knew that it was. He just wants to avoid confrontation, which I can't decide whether it's wise or cowardly. _I'm leaning towards cowardly though. _Kakashi-san wordlessly proceeds to the door, and since his arms are full, he lightly kicks the door a few times. I hear some hushed chattering from the other side before the door is slid open. I find Kurenai-sensei standing there, frozen and unable to speak. Kakashi-san takes initiative and walks past the stunned Kurenai-sensei, nodding to her briefly. Kakashi-san takes me down the hall, and I point him to my room. Kurenai-sensei, who had come out of her stupor, opens the door for him, and he grunts a thank you. He finds my futon and gently places me onto it. He then tiredly sits besides the futon as Kurenai-sensei kneels besides me, fussing over me and scolding me at the same time.

"Where were you?! I was so worried! Everyone was. You could have gotten hurt or sick…" _Ugh, she talks too much._

"I think the latter already happened. And if you consider falling off a horse painful, then I would say she got hurt…" Kakashi-san interrupts, but soon stops after realizing the menacing look he was getting from Kurenai-sensei. He becomes silent almost instantly, and I giggle, which forms into a raspy cough. _I think I just coughed up my lung._

Kakashi-san's interruption had calmed Kurenai-sensei from her hysterical state considerably. Her head now clear, she places her hand on my forehead. She doesn't say anything, but I can tell from the look on her face that I have a fever. _Great, now I won't be able to do anything until I get better. I can't dance, sing, act…go to Yoritomo's party… HA! What are you going to do now, Yoshitsune-SAMA?! You have no power over me! If I don't go to that party, you can't act like I'm your property! Take that! You act like a bastard, and it now turns on you! KARMA IS A BITCH!_

"Kurenai-sensei?" I say weakly but only half-acting.

"Hmm?" She acknowledges distractedly as she pulls up my blanket so that it covers more of my body.

"Well, seeing as how sick I am…" I cough for effect, but I send myself into a coughing fit and can't stop for a while. After managing to stop, I continue as I do my best to sound as sickly as possible. _Not like it's very hard. _"…maybe I shouldn't go to Yoritomo's party. I won't be able to perform in this state…"

"But you're the reason they invited us," Kurenai-sensei says helplessly, not sure what to say. I cough pitifully, which was real, but then I add a fake sniffle to get her pity. "If we give a good performance, then we will be paid a good sum, and we can't pass that up. We need this…" I see her will starting to waver, and I take the opportunity.

"If it's that important," I say faintly, "then I'll do my best." _If this doesn't convince her, nothing will._

Kurenai-sensei's eyes soften as she hears me say this. _I win. _"Well…if you are this sick by the time of the party, then I guess you'll just have to stay behind. I mean, I'm sure they'll understand that you became suddenly ill."

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." _What a sucker._

Before she responds, Kakashi-san suddenly rises from his seat besides me. He observes me intently as I look up at him, and I know he can see through my act. I look away, slightly ashamed, but I can still feel his knowing eyes on me. _I won't give into guilt. _Kakashi-san, seeing that I won't crack, turns from me and exits the room, with Kurenai-sensei following close behind him. I let out a sigh of relief as the door closes.

"I can't thank you enough." _That's Kurenai-sensei._

"It wasn't anything. However, shall I tell Lord Uchiha that it is quite possible Lady Shizuka will be unable to make an appearance at Yoritomo-sama's party?" _Since when is Kakashi-san this polite? Uh…never. What is he trying to do? _I crawl out of the futon to the door, and I press my ear against the door to hear the conversation.

"I would be most grateful. I really don't know how I can thank you for everything you've done."

"Well, there is one thing…" Kakashi-san says quietly. _Oh, Great Buddha, is he trying to SEDUCE her?_

"And…wh-what would that be?" Kurenai-sensei responds, obviously flustered and thinking the same as I am.

"Well…"

"Yes?"

"Can I get something to eat? I'm starving." _WHAT?! THAT'S IT?! HE WANTS TO EAT?! _

It takes Kurenai-sensei a few moments to realize what he had said, and it appears that she's disappointed. "Of course," she says tonelessly, "I'll bring you something to eat. Please be seated in the waiting room, and I will be with you shortly."

I hear Kurenai-sensei's footsteps fade away, and I slide the door open so that I can barely peek my head through it. "What was that all about?" I whisper angrily. "First, I thought you were going to kiss her, and then you just ask for food?"

"So, you _were_ listening," he replies calmly, avoiding my question.

"Don't change the subject!"

Kakashi-san doesn't even look down at me, but instead looks towards the door. "It's about the time Sasuke and I train. He'll be wondering where I am."

I am about to protest because I still want to find out what he was trying to do with Kurenai-sensei, and she was bringing him something to eat. It would be rude to make her go to all that trouble and then suddenly leave. Well, Kakashi-san seems like he isn't one to follow etiquette and deportment. Before I can say anything, he traipses through the door and closes it quickly behind him. Kurenai-sensei comes back soon after, looking confusedly for Kakashi-san with a tray of steaming food for him. I inform her Kakashi-san had disappeared into the night without any warning or explanation. Doing her best to hide how disgruntled she is, she mutters something about me going to bed and stalks off with the tray, mumbling to herself about insufferable men. _Ha ha. She thinks that SHE has problems with men. She obviously hasn't had to deal with Sasuke._

I obey Kurenai-sensei and go back to my futon to lie down. In this position, I spend two more days, resting and being pampered by Kurenai-sensei and the other shirabyoshi. Even the UYFC assisted in taking care of me. Everyone knows that if I don't go, the chances of performing at the party are slim, so they probably pray to Buddha every night for my speedy recovery. It seems he was listening because today, the morning of the party, I am perfectly fine. The words I had thought about Sasuke came right back to slap me in the face. Yup, I was right. Karma is a bitch.

So, today is the day of that damn party.With some ushering of Ino and Tenten, I reluctantly crawl out of my futon to get ready for Yoritomo's party, also known as a chance for Sasuke to make my life a living hell. I take my time preparing unlike usual, hoping that if I make them wait long enough that they'll just leave. Of course, they didn't, and we set off towards to the Uchiha estate on our white horses and dressed in the garb of a shirabyoshi. I let myself fall into a state of obliviousness, hoping to hide away from everyone's eyes as we ride by. It feels nice to not have to really think about anything. I wish I could hide in my world forever to stay away from a particular pair of dark eyes that remind me of obsidian that I am soon to be confronted with.

My horse comes to a halt without me having to do anything, and it jolts me out of my dreamy stupor, at least halfway. I assume we are on the Uchiha property, so I slide off Yuki's back like a rock. My feet hit the ground with a loud thud, and I shove the reins into the confused hostler's hand. Like a walking corpse, I trudge in line with the other shirabyoshi, my feet heavy and my head down. _I feel like someone being lead to their execution._ Not for long because I feel a sharp rap on my back, indicating that I need to have better posture, or else. _Agh, just fuck off, Kurenai-sensei. _I really want to resist, but against my mood, I obey and straighten myself into an uncomfortable but perfect posture. _Too bad. It would've been so much fun to be a rebel._ I force my feet to transform from lead to feathers so I glide gracefully down the hall in perfect time with my fellow shirabyoshi. My face takes on a serene smile, but anyone with half a brain can tell that I don't mean it. _Good thing nobles don't even have that much of brain, well except Sasuke and Shikamaru._

We come to a waiting room that is elegantly decorated with I assume to be the best money can buy. _Lady Uchiha has very good taste. _Standing in the middle ready to greet us are the Uchihas themselves. Lord and Lady Uchiha stand side by side, looking regal and refined, almost to the point of being intimidating to look at. On their right, Yoritomo stands looking at the shirabyoshi carefully as they walk in one by one. _Birthday boy is a pervert…Who knew? _On the couples left is Uchiha Sasuke himself. My heart stops beating for a brief moment, but the shock wears away quickly. I barely glance at him, but I turn to look instead at the reassuring eyes of Kakashi-san. _At least he'll be here to help me._

"Welcome," Lord Uchiha says curtly but he still bears a stately aura around him.

Kurenai-sensei and Anko-sensei step forward and bow deeply. "We are honored that you have asked for our presence here, Lord Uchiha," Kurenai-sensei replies with an air of nobility to challenge even the highest of nobles. Anko-sensei doesn't speak; she always lets Kurenai-sensei do the talking because she says she's never been one with words. _I beg to differ. Where else would I have learned such a colorful vocabulary?_

"No, it is we who should be honored," disagrees Lady Uchiha, her voice very smooth and gentle unlike the men of the family. "It is such a privilege to be able to see you perform. We are also quite excited for a performance from Lady Shizuka." She smiles at us, and it looks so natural and beautiful on her. _How does someone with such a lovely smile give birth to the two people in the world who probably don't know how to smile? But having a nice smile is no excuse for singling me out like that. We are a group. No single person gets the credit…Now UYFC is going to be on my case more than usual since the mother of their idol said my name…_

Kurenai-sensei glances back at me quickly, but it is long enough for me to understand that she expects me to say something in return. Inwardly sighing, I give the Lady a bow with ease that only came from hours of repetition and several smacks on the side of a head with a fan. "You're words give me too much credit, Lady Uchiha. You are too kind."

"So polite for one so young! Yoshitsune and Yoritomo could learn something from you."

_Uh…am I the only one who took it THAT way?_

I chance a look up at Sasuke and find he is smirking, having no problem with the fact it is noticeable. He has a certain glimmer in his eyes that I find indescribable with a single word. They are arrogant, calculating, and hungry for dominance, all of which I find daunting. It seems he can't wait until the next time we are alone so he can prove he controls me like a master does his slave. Sakura wants to scowl and hit him with something, but she is Lady Shizuka at the moment, so Sakura has to lose this battle. Turning slightly to look at Yoritomo, his face is completely expressionless, but he is watching me intently with his intense eyes. I want to fidget, but I put that thought in the back of my mind. Instead, I look over at Kakashi-san, who looks indifferent to everyone. He doesn't even look my way to give me some form of reassurance; he just simply stares forward at nothing, playing the part of a silent and dutiful guard very well.

"Well, I am sure you are all tired," Lord Uchiha speculates, breaking the long pause in conversation. "Yoshitsune will lead you all to your rooms."

_No! What is wrong with them?! This is the second time, damn it!_

Sasuke doesn't even grunt but turns on his heel to skulk down the hall. The shirabyoshi giggle as they follow him down the hall, like a mob of school children; they had forgotten they are supposed to act composed at all times. It's amazing what a guy with good looks can do to women. Remembering my manners, I bow very low to the remaining members of the Uchiha family and follow the group down the hall. As I draw nearer, I hear screams, squeals, and a lot of doors slamming. As I turn the corner, I see them running up and down the hall and into each others rooms. Shaking my head, I walk down to find the room Tenten and Ino might be in.

"Looking for something?"

I spin around to face him.

"Don't you dare talk to me after how you treated me earlier! I've had enough of you and your arrogance, coldness, obsession with power, and loose morals! You are the scum of the earth, an arrogant bastard…"

"What do you mean loose morals?"

"Oh, like you don't know." _He has some nerve to pretend like he doesn't know._

"No, I don't know. Enlighten me if you are so brilliant."

"I know nobles like you. They think they are so great and can fuck any women they want! Well, I'm not like them, so stop acting like you own me and can order me into your bed whenever you want to!"

I can barely stand to look at him any longer. I turn quickly and start to go down the hall, not caring where I go as long as I can get away from him. Of course, Sasuke doesn't let me do as I want but grabs my wrist, jerking me towards him so I look into his eyes. _He better get his hands off of me. _I feel a low growl form deep in my throat, and I glare at him intensely. He ignores the warning and stares back at me, completely unfazed. We continue the contest for some time, and when it is apparent that neither of us was going to win, he broke the silence.

"Hn…So, that's what you think of me?" He looks angry as he asks this, but the expression disappears quickly.

My livid expression changes into a smug grin. "As a matter of fact, I do."

I wrench my arm out of his hand and raise it up quickly. Before he can react, I swiftly slap him right on the check. _Eh, I'm not the slapping type, but I can live with this. _His face doesn't change like I hoped it would. _I should have learned by now that he will never react. _With that, I storm away from him, with angry tears stinging my eyes.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, all I can say is…that was awful. Sorry that it took me so long to update and that all I end up writing after all that time is this. Well, I'll try to make the next chapter better. I promise. Well, please review and tell me what you think. Any feedback, including criticism, is greatly appreciated. Thanks! 


	9. A Discovery of What Truly Happened

I'd like to thank **TennantFangirl, Laura-chan, kakura sagami **(Whether Itachi is good or evil…will be revealed in later chapters)**, freak a geek, les-liasons-dangereuses, Nameless Blossom** (haha, I didn't think of that until you mentioned it. I probably got the idea from there and used it subconsciously)**, Mikomi-chan, musagirl15, MintiNeko **(Thanks for telling me. I'll go back and rework it soon)**, wooh… **(Aw, you're not lame! Don't cry!) **Me want mochi,** **Blackblossom93, Sayonara Solitaire, MoonIdiot, hellopanda23, SilverTwilightEmperess **(I'm glad you've enjoyed it)**, FakeCompassion **(yay! I'm glad my Kakashi is written ok. I would be sad if his personality was wrong)**, Market Rush **(don't worry, they will be back!), **AngelFire Rei **(thank you very much )**, cutebutwierdlucy18, Larie-chan, KonohaNinja93, nekokigin **(haha, I like strawberries. They are yummy!)**, Emo Vampire Princess Bella** and **the anonymous reviewers** for the reviews. I really appreciate them!!!

**Disclaimer:** Meh, you already know what goes here.

The _grand_ party of Yoritomo is to start in an hour. Well, guess who isn't going? Yup, I'm not. I haven't even tried to get ready. I've been sitting here on my futon ever since the glorious slap on Sasuke's face. For once, I'm going to rebel and do what Sakura wants to do, and I'm enjoying every damn minute of it too.

_Not anything on this earth, even Buddha himself can make me go to that damn party. I don't care if it's his birthday or not. Yoritomo can deal with it. There is not a single thing that can make me move from this spot. Nope, not a damn thing. _

"Sak, come on," Tenten whines while frantically tugging on my arm. "We are going to be late. You need to get ready now!"

_Can't make me do it. I refuse._

"Forehead, stop being stubborn!" Ino demands, stomping her foot indignantly.

_La la la la la. __I'm not listening!_

"Sakura-chan, please…" Sayuki begs quietly with a pitiful look on her face. She plays with her hair nervously, shifting her weight often. She sort of reminds me of Hinata-sama when she does that.

_Nope. Won't do it._

"Sak, everyone is counting on you," Tenten says. "What are we going to say when you don't show up? You're a lot of the reason we got invited."

_Nice try, Tenten, but the whole guilt trip thing is NOT going to work._

"Our names will probably be ruined after this, you know," Ino states matter-of-factly. "I mean, who wants to hire shirabyoshi who refuse nobles' wishes? I know _I_ sure wouldn't if _I_ was a noble."

_You're going to have to think up something better than that to get me to even consider going._

"And think of all the noble gossip you will miss if you don't go…" Sayuki speculates. I didn't expect her to say something like this.

I feel myself twitch at the thought of this. _Damn, I hope they didn't notice that._

"There are so many things you could miss," Ino puts in. "Jiraiya-sama might make a move on Tsunade-sama, Yoritomo-sama might cheat on his bride to be with one of the shirabyoshi, Hinata-sama might actually speak, and Naruto-sama might even grow a brain!"

_A lot of these ideas are improbable. Don't let them get you all worked up._

"You know you want to come, Sa. Ku. Ra. Chan," Tenten says with a knowing smile on her face.

_Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to go…NO, bad Sakura. Do not give in!_

"And the there will be all that talk about Yoshitsune-sama," Ino tries again. "It may be Yoritomo-sama's birthday, but Yoshitsune-sama will be catching every girl's eyes. There will definitely be A LOT of flirting going on. I wonder if someone just might catch his eyes this time."

…_THAT BITCH RIKA BETTER STAY AWAY FROM SASUKE!!!_

I stormily get up from my spot on the futon and push past Tenten and Sayuki to the table with all my makeup. I snatch the white powder and start to swirl it onto my face. In the mirror, I can see the other girls giggling and giving each other high-fives. I snarl at them, causing them to laugh even more. This adds to my annoyance, causing me to slam the powder down against the table. My angry action sends them into peals of stomach-wrenching laughter and even makes Tenten drop to the floor clutching her stomach. _I hope they all trip when we perform today._

"Come on, forehead, lighten up. You know we love you," Ino manages to say through her fit of giggles.

"Just let me get ready, Ino-pig, before I change my mind," I snap surlily.

Their laughter eventually dies off, and by the time it does, my mask of makeup is complete. My annoyance is completely gone, and the only emotion I have is determination to do my duty. I am Lady Shizuka now. Even though I am just in front of my friends, my demeanor changes completely. Ino, Tenten and Sayuki stare at me solemnly, knowing that since Sakura is gone for now that the time for jokes has ended. I regally step away from the table and practically glide to the chest where my costume is kept. Normally, I'm not so somber and in character when getting ready for a performance, but today, I need to be.

I put on my entire costume as everyone watches me in silence. I can tell they feel uneasy around me and are not quite sure how to react. Normally, I would have smiled and told them not to be so worried, but instead, I quietly put my hat on my head. Now completely ready, I step out the door without a word with Ino, Tenten and Sayuki following behind me noiselessly. The rest of the shirabyoshi are waiting in line in the hall. Without even having to think about it, I fall into my place in line, completely ignoring the concerned and confused looks Anko-sensei and Kurenai-sensei are giving me.

"Well, since we are all here, let's get a move on…" Anko-sensei says unsurely as she glances at me, trying to be her loud, unruly self but failing. She can tell that something is wrong with me; she always has been able to.

We all obey and make our way down the hall. Just like when we parade down the streets, my mind is cleared of everything so that I might as well be a living corpse. I stay this way until our group halts in front of the screen adjacent to the stage that had been prepared for our performance. I let my brain begin to function again, but only enough so that I can act well.

"Tenten, you are on," Kurenai-sensei whispers to her.

Tenten nods to confirm her understanding and walks out on to the stage. Instantly, her graceful style of walking turns into a wide, strong gait that slightly resembles a swagger. She holds up her head slightly in a way that portrays her as a very proud individual. This is what makes Tenten such a talented actor. She can immediately become the character as easy as it is for her to take a breath. Today, she is a samurai that is going to fight a god for the cure to save his lover. Everyone loves this story, but I think it is ridiculous. No matter how much you love someone, no person in their right mind would fight a god.

Tenten suddenly stops in the middle of the stage and speaks in a smooth, tenor voice that only she somehow manages. She begins her long monologue of how she, well actually he, will do whatever it takes to save his love. He would go to the ends of the earth and blah blah blah. _What do people like about this? What is so enjoyable about watching people die because of their own stupidity? _Now, it is Ino's turn to go on. She is the lover of said samurai that begs him just to stay by her side instead of going on this pointless mission. _I am definitely on her side. _However, like the proud, stupid man that he is, the samurai refuses her, but he does promise to return swiftly with the cure.

Now is my favorite part of the whole thing. Takako hobbles out on stage as a decrepit, old man, and it takes all of my will power to not burst out laughing, even if I am Lady Shizuka. _Serves the Sasuke obsessed bitch right. _The old man is the one who tells the samurai that he must battle a god for the cure. Since when do you take what a senile, old man says seriously? Well, the samurai does and travels deep into the forest to find the god he must fight, leaving his sick lover on her death bed. Along the way, he meets various people, some helpful while others deceitful. Finally, he makes his way to the top of the mountain where the god is supposed to reside. Guess who is the lucky one who gets to be the god? Lady Shizuka of course. Did I mention that Lady Shizuka gets to wear this heavy gold costume and has to do a sword dance in it?

"Shizuka, get out there," Anko-sensei hisses as she gives me a gentle nudge.

With a groan only loud enough for Anko-sensei and me to hear, I trudge my way out into the middle of the stage. I know gods aren't supposed to trudge, but it's not exactly easy to look regal in this costume. Somehow, I get to Tenten and take my stance, my sword drawn and pointing menacingly at Tenten. Tenten follows my action and falls into an offensive stance herself. We stare at each other for a prolonged amount of time, as if to observe our opponent when actually we are just counting the seconds until we can get out of the position.

_5…_

The drums begin to pound out a quick and steady rhythm.

_4…_

A rapid flute trill pierces through the low reverberating beats of the drum that I can feel in my chest.

_3…_

My ears really hurt because of that damn flute.

_2…_

Everyone is staring at us in anticipation, including Sasuke. I wish they would stop.

_1…_

I quickly spin around, swinging my sword in a large arc. Tenten does a cartwheel backwards, landing with a loud thud on both feet. She slides her back foot back and lifts her sword high above her head. Tenten lets out a fierce battle cry and charges toward me with the blade aimed for my chest. I use my sword to parry it and step to one side, letting her fly forward with her momentum. She easily rolls forward to get back on her feet and does a series of complicated movements with her sword, twirling and spinning for no reason except to impress the audience. It's not like in the middle of real battle a samurai is going to do all these complicated moves for his opponent.

In response, I do the same, letting my blade spin around me until I let my weight shift into a defensive stance. As we face each other, I finally notice how short my breath is and how hot this damn costume is. My skin is sticky and sweat is running down my face. _Good thing no one can really see me right now. I must look awful._ Tenten is in way better shape than I am; she is completely poised and her breathing is normal. _She is lucky she has so much stamina. I'm practically dying over here._

Suddenly, Tenten makes the first move again and lunges towards me, this time her sword aimed low towards my stomach. Even though this is completely rehearsed, I was caught slightly unaware by this due to the fact I was inwardly complaining about how tired I am. I manage to block her attack by a split second, but I begin to lose my balance. Tenten doesn't realize this until she swung her sword to attack again, and I see her concentrated expression transform into a panicked one. I bring my blade up, but Tenten's sword still slices into my skin, creating a large gash in my arm.

I hear the audience gasp as blood spills onto the floor from my wound. I feel a dull pain in my arm, but I put that in the back of my mind. I look into Tenten's wide eyes and nod to her. She shakes her head, but I look back at her sternly, reassuring her that I'm fine. She resignedly lifts up the sword and points it toward me with blood dripping off of its blade. I, in turn, relax into an offensive stance. I step forward and make an arc with my sword that goes above my head. Tenten attempts to block it, but the sword comes down and slices through her suikan. To everyone else, it looks like I slashed her chest; actually, I just tore through the first of many layers Tenten is wearing, the last of which being lightweight armor used when practicing swordsmanship

Tenten dramatically staggers to the floor, conveniently landing in the small pool of blood created by my injury from earlier. _Tenten, I commend you for doing that for the sake of dramatic effect, but you really didn't have to land in the blood. That is going a little overboard. _I move over Tenten so that I appear to be standing over her triumphantly, when really all I'm thinking about is how my arm is really starting to hurt now. _Great Buddha, this hurts. Oh, right, I'm supposed to say my line._

"Stupid mortal. To think that you thought you could defeat a god."

With that being their cue, the rest of the shirabyoshi come out single file to form a line in front of Tenten and me. As they begin their song and dance which mourns the loss of a gallant hero, the two of us sneak off the stage behind the screen. Tenten opens her mouth to apologize, but I wave her off with a smile.

"Don't worry about it, Ten-chan. It doesn't hurt that much, and it was my fault in the first place. I got distracted."

Before Tenten can argue, a pair of strong arms scoops me up and carries me briskly away from her. I confusedly struggle to get down, but the arms tighten around me until I stop squirming. I tilt my head up to look at my kidnapper to find that the muscular arms belong to Sasuke. At first, I am taken by surprise, but as I let the fact sink in, I begin struggling again. _Let go of me, you bastard! _Sasuke grunts slightly as I move around in his arms, having slight difficulty keeping a firm grasp on me while I flail around. He somehow is able to bring me to the hallway adjacent to the room with the stage without dropping me.

Sasuke gently places me down on the ground, and I try to crawl away from him. However, he gives me a slight shove with his knee so that I am sitting with my back against the wall. I frown at him as he sits down beside me, but of course, he takes no notice of me glaring at him. Instead, he begins ripping the end of his hoeki no ho into long, thin strips. I open my mouth to object because he would probably say I am in his debt again or something like that, but he silences me with a scary, but very sexy, look.

He carefully wipes away the remaining blood on my arm and starts wrapping the cloth around my arm. I feel his fingers gently brush against my skin, and a strange tingling sensation goes up my arm and down my spine. I feel a blush rising to my face, and then it suddenly dawns on my how close his face is to mine. _Is it me or is it really hot in this hallway?_ The blush intensifies as I watch his very attractive face intently stare at his hands tying the cloth into a knot. _He is so damn sexy. I think I am going to faint. No, Sakura, do NOT act like a fan girl. Do NOT stoop to that level._

"Why are you helping me?" I manage to ask.

"Hn."

I roll my eyes at him, losing all fan-girlish thoughts in an instant. "We've gone over this several times now. 'Hn' is not a real answer."

"Aa."

"Damn it, Sasuke! That isn't an answer either!" _Oops. Shouldn't have lost my temper. Oh well, who cares? It felt good._

"Such language, _Lady Shizuka_," he says with a smirk. Well, I can't actually see the smirk because his face is being covered by his bird's ass hair, but I can _feel_ that he is smirking.

"Shut up," I growl. _Wow, that was a stupid comeback. Couldn't I have thought of something better than that?_

"Since you are talking to me somewhat civilly and haven't hit me, does that mean you aren't angry with me anymore?" He asks tonelessly, ignoring my bitter but pathetic retort.

That just makes me even angrier. _Did he actually just ask me that? Of course I am angry at him! _"I will never be able to forgive an arrogant man whore like you!" I yell in his face, pushing him away from me before he can finish binding my wound. I stand up with some difficulty and start to walk away from him.

"Sakura, stop being stupid," Sasuke says calmly.

I spin around and feel rage engulf any ounce of reason and control I had left. _What the hell did he just say to me? _"I dare you to repeat that."

"Stop. Being. Stupid," he says, enunciating every word with that damn smirk on his face. "You aren't even letting me get my side of the story in, but instead, you believe the gossip that the dumb ass dog told you."

"Why the hell should I believe what you say?" I scream.

There is a small pause before Sasuke replies. "You're annoying."

Before I can "annoy" him any longer, he turns his back to me and strides down the hall. Half of me wanted to run after him and show him that I am not someone to mess with, but the other half, the Lady Shizuka half, tells me to stop being an idiot and remember my manners. I want to ignore that rational voice in my head, but I've been neglecting Lady Shizuka lately. All that has done is caused me a lot of problems. _Eh…it's not worth wasting my breath anyways._

I start making my towards the opposite end of the hall, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. It only works a little bit though. _He just…infuriates me! He honestly has some nerve talking to me like that! _I clench my fists tightly together, getting angrier by the second. _Well, I bet I look SO attractive right now. I'm sweaty, there's blood all over my arm, and I probably have this very becoming scowl on my face. Yup, definitely the epitome of beauty._

"What happened to you?"

I whirl around, ready to unleash my wrath on whoever was enough of an idiot to talk to me right now. _Why can't people just leave me…What in Buddha's name…? Shikamaru-sama? _I quickly drop the fist that I had been planning to smash into his face and look sheepishly at the ground. I hear Shikamaru-sama sigh tiredly, and I glance back at him to find him sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and his eyes closed. _Is he…asleep? _I quietly creep forward and crouch down beside him, observing him bemusedly. I poke him gingerly on the shoulder, and he lets out another sigh, except this one is annoyed instead of tired.

"I'm awake," he informs me lazily.

I jump slightly in surprise, and he lets out a slow chuckle, causing me to grimace as he laughs at my expense.

"So, why were you going to hit me?" He asks me as his quiet laughter subsides. "Did it have anything to do with your fight with Yoshitsune?"

My eyes widen as I stare at him, astonished that he would know that. "How did you…?"

"Do I really have to explain? Man, this is troublesome."

"Forgive my stupidity," I snap.

"No need to get all angry," he sighs. He doesn't continue, and I begin to wonder if he fell asleep. His breathing is so slow and even, and it was something that he would probably do, so it didn't surprise me much. _He is such a lazy ass._ "It's really obvious that guys are having a fight," he continues suddenly, surprising me. "I see you clenching your fists and glaring at the floor right after I walk past Yoshitsune muttering to himself about insufferable women. If that isn't evidence enough, then I don't know what is."

My full attention is caught by this, and I don't bother even trying to hide it. "Well, what exactly did he say?"

Shikamaru-sama opens one eye and peers at me carefully, observing my expression. He finds something amusing because a crooked smile spreads on his face. "Just how you wouldn't listen to his side of the story, and how he wondered why he even bothered trying to convince you that he had nothing to do with that girl."

_But that can't be true. Kiba heard them…Kiba heard him say her name…_

"I see that you still believe he slept with her," Shikamaru-sama states bluntly.

"Damn right I do," I say stubbornly. "I have no reason to believe him."

"You have no reason to believe Kiba, either," he countered lethargically, sounding like he would nod off very soon.

I open my mouth to retort, but I can't think of any response that doesn't sound completely stupid. _Well, he is right. I really have no reason to believe Kiba, but that means admitting Sasuke is telling the truth…_

"So…" I start unsurely, "do you know the real story?"

He doesn't answer me, and so I repeat myself. He still doesn't respond. I poke him on the shoulder, and he shifts his weight while mumbling incoherently. _Is he seriously sleeping in the middle of a conversation? _I give him a hard shove to make sure. Nothing happens. _He IS sleeping. What the hell?! Now I won't be able to figure out if Sasuke is telling the damn truth or not! Well…not that I care. I mean…_

"Maybe I do care…just a little," I whisper to no one in particular.

I get up from my crouched position stiffly, my knees hurting from not moving for so long. I glimpse over at Shikamaru-sama, and with a reluctant sigh, I start walking down the hall in the direction that Sasuke had went. _As much as I hate to admit it, the only way I'm going to figure this out is if I talk to Sasuke himself…This won't end well. I probably just end up getting angry again, and I'll hit him again…Wait, where the hell am I going? _Since I didn't pay attention to where he went and have no sense of direction, I get myself lost within a matter of minutes. I stop moving and look around frantically, trying to find something to help me. I get lucky and find a servant walking briskly down the hall.

"Excuse me," I call out in a clear, strong voice that reminded me somewhat of Kurenai-sensei. The servant turns to me almost instantly and bows very low. "Do you happen to know where Yoshitsune-sama is?"

The servant raises his eyebrow as he gives me a quizzical look. "You're not Lady Shizuka by any chance, are you?"

"Well…yes," I reply in a confused tone. "Why?"

"I was sent to look for you."

"By who?" I ask suspiciously.

"Yoshitsune-sama."

It takes all of my will power to not let my jaw drop in astonishment and disbelief. _Why the hell would he send someone to look for me?_ I manage to push my feelings aside and keep my calm demeanor. "Why did he ask you to come find me?"

"He knew you would get lost," the servant says, shrugging nonchalantly.

I curl my fists up into a ball to control my shaking. _What am I, five? I can find my way all by myself! That condescending bastard!_ "Can you take me to him?" I inquire with my voice tense as I try to control my tone.

The servant nods and starts down the hall silently. I quickly follow behind him, letting him lead me through a series of hallways I surely would have gotten lost in. _How DO people get around in here? Everything looks the same. _He finally stops in front of a doorway and then turns to me, bowing in farewell before he runs off to do whatever other duty was assigned to him. I nod courteously before turning my attention to the door to Sasuke's room. I raise my hand to knock on the door, but then I feel my body freeze. _This is Sasuke's…room. _I shake my head at my ridiculousness, pushing the feeling aside. _What am I worrying about? Nothing is going to happen. I mean, it's just his room for Buddha's sake…_

I compose myself and knock gently on the door. It slowly slides open to reveal Sasuke standing in the doorway; I let a small gasp escape me. If I didn't know any better, I would say he looked surprised, but he hides it before I can really decide with that damn smirk. Normally, his arrogant expression would have agitated me to no end, but this time, I just can't stop staring at him. Instead of annoying me the hell out of me, his smirk almost enchants me. His dark hair is tousled and hung around his face, revealing enough of his face so that I can see his obsidian eyes that are almost impossible not to stare into. However, I manage to tear my eyes away from his to look at the opening of his kimono. The kimono almost hangs off of his shoulder and allows me a full view of his perfectly toned chest. _Great Buddha…_

"Like what you see?" He asks haughtily. His smirk gets even wider as he watches me try to get my brain back to functioning properly.

"Ah…um…well…" _Why can't I talk?_

"I'll take that as a yes. So, was that all you came her for? To stare at me? Or did you have another motive to come visit me at such a late hour?" His mocking voice snaps me out of my dazzled state.

"I want to know your side of the story," I say frankly.

I hope for a look of astonishment, but the smirk stays glued to his face. "_You _want to know _my_ side of the story?" He asks, feigning disbelief.

"Oh, shut up," I growl.

"Now, if I shut up, I won't be able to tell you now will I? You should really make up your mind what you want."

_This isn't worth it. I'm out of here. _I turn away from him and start walking down the hall to who knows where, but a hand snatches my wrist, yanking me back towards the door into something hard. I tilt my head up to see that I am pressed up against Sasuke's body, and I feel myself begin to get faint. _Mmm…his arms are so strong and warm…Wait, what am I thinking?_

"Let go of me," I mumble, but not very convincingly.

Sasuke doesn't hesitate and releases me immediately. I feel a sudden pang of remorse as I feel his arms slip away from me. I ignore it and stare at him impatiently, waiting for him to explain himself. He doesn't but simply stands there silently, gazing pensively at the floor.

"Now that I think about it," he says abruptly, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "I really have no way to prove to you that it wasn't me besides my word."

I don't speak, move, or even breathe in fear that if I do that he will stop.

"It was Itachi," he explains in a careful voice that I can't read. "He was the one that slept with…"

"Rika," I whisper.

Sasuke nods before continuing. "Yes, her. He has been sleeping around a lot lately. He really doesn't want to get married, so he wants to live a little, I guess."

_No…I don't believe it. He's lying…isn't he?_

"I can see how that…dog mistook me for my older brother. We have quite a few similarities."

_Maybe he is telling the truth…_

"But there is something the greatly differentiates me from my brother."

"What?" I ask in a barely audible voice.

"I don't go around and sleep with every woman I meet, but you just assumed that since I'm a noble, I'm a dirty, arrogant liar," he flashes out as he seems to remember my previous accusations. His eyes are now smoldering from his fury, and I am not sure if I am terrified or entranced.

"So the ice cube does have emotion after all," I tease in a pathetic attempt to lighten his mood.

A look of realization comes across Sasuke's face as if he hadn't realized he was showing his anger. His anger then slowly subsides until his face is completely aloof and devoid of all emotion. I reach out to place my hand on his arm, but he pushes my hand aside roughly. I let the hurt I feel fill my eyes, but he averts his gaze to ignore it. After a brief moment of me staring intently up at him and him looking away, he swiftly turns and strides back into his room without another word to me, practically slamming the door shut behind him.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, I finally finished this chapter. Please review! Any feedback is greatly appreciated. 


	10. A Payment for What Was Owed

I'd like to thank **Laura-chan, KonohaNinja93, Katherine, freak a geek, Emo Vampire Princess Bella, MoonIdiot** (You didn't annoy me or anything, don't worry. . I can totally understand how Sakura being kind of two-face would be annoying)**, The-Trapped-Pheonix, Starlight – Wild Koneko** (Yes, I'm probably going to have them get together in the next chapter or two)**, Me want mochi **(Nah, Kiba isn't bad. He is just over eager and jumps the gun when Sakura is friendly towards him)**, FakeCompassion, hellopanda23** (Haha, yeah, I just realized that my chapters to tend to have that pattern. Well, I promise that the next chapter will break away from that)**, LifesABitchToMe, TennantFangirl, musagirl15, iFo0l **(I went back and reread the parts where I say that Kakashi is like an older brother, and I see what you mean. I just kind of threw it in there. Oops! XD I'll probably go back and fix that later when this is all done)**, xJediJainax, AngelFire Rei, i.dance.in.the.rain **(I'll read them both and give you feedback as soon as possible)**, HoshikoK **(ItaSaku? Mmm…I'm not sure. Itachi does play a pretty important role later, but I don't think that they will develop feelings for each other. Well, at least Sakura won't for him, but the plot is constantly changing so who knows where this will go?!), and **slave to the keyboard **for the reviews!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

Guilt.

This stupid emotion has been consuming me ever since last night after we left the Uchiha estate. I can't forget the incensed look on Sasuke's face; it constantly replays in my head. I've tried to distract myself, doing pointless and menial tasks to keep my mind busy, like the sewing I had been doing five minutes ago, but it doesn't work. All I seem to be able to think about is him, which is really quite annoying actually. I can't figure out why I've been constantly thinking about him because he _is_ a noble after all. All nobles are selfish, arrogant, condescending, manipulative, dishonest…right?

_Maybe I should go see him…_

His enraged face flashes through my mind again.

_That wouldn't help anything. He probably never wants to see my face again…_

It surprises me how much this idea pains me; I never imagined feeling such torment from the thought that he wouldn't want me. _Why do I feel like this? _I sigh heavily and pick up the ripped kimono that I had previously been working on. I begin to mend the large rip, trying once again to put all my focus and concentration on something other than Sasuke. For a while, I succeed; I concentrate solely on my sewing. However, it doesn't last long as his hate-filled eyes appear in my mind again. Giving up, I throw the kimono angrily aside and snarl at it, upset that it had teased me with the possibility of peace of mind.

_I can't take any more of this! I'm just going to apologize and get this over with!_

I get up from the floor and instinctively make my way over to the table that holds all of my makeup. I reach over for the white powder without giving it much though. I almost put it on my face, but a strange feeling of resent washes over me. _No…not today. _I put the powder back on the table and regard myself in the mirror carefully. _If I'm going to apologize, it's going to be as Sakura, not Lady Shizuka. It won't mean anything if Shizuka does it; she always spouts off cordial apologizes that she doesn't mean at all. _Satisfied with my decision, I turn and walk down the hall towards the stable.

As I go down the hall, I feel all the curious stares of the other shirabyoshi on my back. They hadn't expected me to go out, and even if they had, they thought I would have made myself up as Lady Shizuka. I understand their bemusement; even I'm slightly surprised by my decision. I'm used to hiding everything behind that mask; all my emotions are protected by it. Today, I'm possibly opening myself to a whole lot of pain, and I'm willingly allowing his words to do their worst, even if they cut into my heart.

I get to the door and slide it open, but there is someone standing in my way. I glance up to find Anko-sensei staring at me with a puzzled expression; I sigh tiredly as I realize that she is going to want an explanation for my impulsive decision. _I really don't feel like explaining. I just want to go find Sasuke. _I give Anko-sensei a pleading look, but she shakes her head, waiting expectantly for some reason for me leaving. I groan, and she smiles crookedly at me, obviously amused by my annoyance. _I guess I have to tell her…something._

"I just need to get out of here for a little while. I'm so bored that I'm going crazy. A little walk can't hurt, right?" The lie comes out of my mouth smoothly. I'm not exactly proud of it, but being a shirabyoshi makes one a good liar.

Unfortunately, Anko-sensei knows this and shakes her head, not buying my story at all. "Why don't you just tell the truth and say you are going to see Yoshitsune-sama?"

My eyes grow wide, and I gape at her, shocked that she would know about that. "H-how did you…?" I manage to stutter, too surprised to lie again and hide my true intentions.

"Puh-lease, it is so obvious that there is something going on between you two," Anko-sensei says rather loudly, a mischievous grin on her face.

I feel warmth rush up to my face, and I glare at her angrily. _Great! The whole house heard that. _"There is _nothing_ going on between us, Anko-sensei," I growl.

"Sure there isn't," she laughs, clearly not believing me.

"Can I just go?" I ask exasperatedly, my patience wearing thin.

Anko-sensei doesn't answer but simply pushes past me, making her way into the house. I hear her obnoxiously loud laugh ring out as she walks down the hall, causing confused stares to transform into hushed gossip. Still scowling, I tramp into the stables without a single bit of regality; my clamorous entrance startles the other horses, but I ignore them as I storm to Yuki's stall.

I hurriedly saddle up Yuki, ignoring her discontented snorting as I roughly throw the saddle on her back and let it thud against her back. After I tied down the saddle, I jerk on the reins to get her out of the stall, but Yuki won't budge. _Buddha damn it all! Yuki, move your ass! _She snorts and shakes her head, obviously upset by my unreasonable harshness. I give the reins another hard tug, but Yuki jerks her head away from me so that the reins slip from my fingers.

I glare at her malevolently, and she holds my eye contact although uncomfortable doing so. She shifts her weight nervously as she senses the irritation in my stare. My expression softens slightly as I watch her helplessly gaze at me. I tentatively approach her, but Yuki begins to back up so I cease all movement. When she seemed relaxed again, I move forward very slowly, and she lets me do so.

"I'm sorry, Yuki," I whisper as I put my face to hers.

She nudges me gently to indicate to me that all is forgiven. I smile slightly at her gesture before lightly tugging on the reins. This time Yuki obediently steps out of her stall and follows me out the stable. Once outside, I climb onto her back in one easy motion, not even bothering to sit side saddle like I normally do. I lightly squeeze her sides, and Yuki willingly gallops away from the house.

I ignore all the stares as Yuki tears down the streets. It doesn't really matter if they think I am crazy for riding around like this; they will forget my face soon enough. As Sakura, I'm not anyone of significance that requires remembering. _But seriously, don't people have anything better to do than stare at me every damn time I pass by?_

I somehow end up at the Uchiha estate without getting lost at all. _How the hell did I manage to do that? _I dismount Yuki and thrust her reins into the shocked hostler's hands; I'm sure that the Uchihas weren't expecting company, and even if they were, it wouldn't be some common person like me. Ignoring his attempts at protest, I walk towards the doors and its guards with a false air of confidence. _How the hell am I going to get past them? I'm just Sakura, so they have no reason to let me in. What will I do if they turn me away?_ I do my best to push my doubts aside and continue to move towards them. I see them eye me warily, unsure of what I would be doing here.

"I'm here to see Yoshitsune-sama," I announce staunchly, surprising both the guards and myself with my brashness.

After overcoming their astonishment, the guards chuckle when they hear this, and I raise my eyebrow to question their mirth. _What the hell are they laughing about?_ I quell my anger with great effort, clenching the fabric of my kimono in my hands.

"Yeah, you and ever other girl in Heian," one of them snickers.

"I really need to see him so let me through the damn doors," I say curtly, my voice still smooth and unruffled by anger.

"What language, little lady!" The other guard exclaims, finding my vulgarity hilarious.

_He did NOT just call me little lady. He is so going to get it!_

I shift my weight forward to launch myself at him, but one of the doors opens, stopping me from beating the moron who called me 'little lady'. I see a head with unruly, silver hair pop out from the opening with a sheepish expression on his face. _Kakashi-san! He will let me in!_

"Where were you, Kakashi-san?" One of the guards asks, very irritated. "You were supposed to take over my post hours ago."

Kakashi brings his hand up to the back of his head abashedly. "Well there was this…"

"I don't even want to hear it," the guard says, cutting him off.

Kakashi looks slightly disappointed, as if he had thought of a very witty and creative excuse. Reluctantly, he trades spots with the guard, and the guard disappears inside the house, mumbling incoherently. I stand in front of Kakashi and the other guard impatiently, waiting for them to say something. Finally, Kakashi glances down at me, and a look of realization spreads across his face.

"What are you doing here…Sakura?" He inquires coolly, his voice completely devoid of astonishment that would typically be on someone's face.

This takes me surprise; I didn't know he knew my real name. "I'm here to see Yoshitsune-sama."

"Look here, girl," the other guard puts in, finally frustrated with my persistence. "You can't get in and see him."

"Of course she can," Kakashi says stolidly, ignoring the guard's confused expression. "He required that she be present today."

"Oh, well I guess that changes things…" the guard says reluctantly, "but he does have some balls to bring his slut to the house in the middle of the day."

_That bastard is going to regret ever calling me a slut!_

"Ignore the idiot, Sakura," Kakashi tells me lightly, stopping me from beating the shit out of him with a hand. "Go on in."

I nod to him gratefully and stick out my tongue childishly at the other guard before entering the house. My feeling of triumph fades almost instantly as I stare helplessly at the hallways before me. _How the hell am I going to find him? Finding him in this will take forever! Well, I better get started… So where to begin? Hmm… eeny meeny miny mo…_

"What are you doing here, Sakura?" A deep voice that I recognize almost instantly asks aloofly, interrupting my extremely complicated choosing process. _Well, at least I didn't have to search for him through this maze of hallways._

I turn slowly to face him, but I can't bring myself to look at his eyes. I'm too scared to see the hate that is probably burning in them. "I wa-want t-to…apologize," I stutter timidly, afraid of his harsh reply.

"Apologize?" There is a slight interest in his voice that causes me to look up at him.

I wince slightly as I stare directly into his eyes. They weren't what I was expecting; they are worse. There is not a single ounce of emotion in his onyx eyes. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, and it works just enough so I can stop stuttering. "Yeah, I want to apologize for believing Inuzuka and accusing you like that. It was wrong of me." His face doesn't change at all as he hears this. _React! Say something! Anything! _"I'm so sorry," I whisper as I drop my eyes ashamedly to stare at my feet. There is still silence. _Damn it, just say something! I don't care what it is!_

"Hn," he finally responds. _I guess that is all I am going to get._

I start to turn toward the door, but a hand wraps around my wrist tightly and stops me from leaving. I twist my head around to look back at him, and his lips turn up slightly in that annoying smirk. This time, however, the irritation was quickly replaced with a strange feeling of being breathless. Instead of annoying the hell out of me, his smirk enchants me. _No…what am I thinking? I hate that smirk more than anything._

"You're not getting away so easily, Sakura," Sasuke informs me. "Your apology is accepted, but I still believe you owe me."

_What the hell?! Not this again!_

He notices the rage that was starting to boil up inside of me and quickly commands, "Let me finish."

I relax only slightly and glare at him for his strong, authoritative, yet emotionless tone.

"As I was saying, you still owe me. So to pay me back, I've decided that for today you are mine."

Instead of making me livid like I anticipated, I am pleased when he says I am his. "Just for today?" I ask suspiciously, making sure wasn't some trick I was missing.

"Hn," he grunts in response, and I assume that is a confirmation.

I sigh in defeat and shrug carelessly. _One day won't kill me._ "You're wish is my command," I reply flamboyantly, pulling my hand away from his so I can drop dramatically to my knees to bow.

I feel a gentle kick to my side, and I grunt at the dull pain. _Bastard. _I stand up slowly as I rub my tender side, glaring at him sulkily. Ignoring the look I gave him, Sasuke quickly grabs my hand and barely intertwines his fingers with mine before dragging me off somewhere. I stare at our hands, quite stunned by this, but I like the way my hand feels in his. _I've never felt so warm and safe before. _I begin to blush furiously at this thought. _Buddha damn it, Sakura, stop thinking like this! _

He leads me to the stables where a hostler stands with Yuki and a chestnut mare already saddled. Sasuke releases my hand, and I am quite disquieted by this; I want his hand back in mine. Sasuke grabs both horses' reins from the hostler and nods silently to him. The hostler bows deeply before trotting off to do some other chore. Sasuke silently thrusts the reins in my hand before leading his mare out of the stables. I hurry after him, feeling that if I don't keep up he might leave me behind.

"Hurry up," Sasuke orders indifferently, already on the mare's back. _When did he do that? Damn he is fast._

I slide my foot into the stirrup and swing my leg over Yuki's back. I barely have enough time to get into the saddle before Sasuke nudges the mare into a canter. "Keep up," he calls over his shoulder. "That is, if you can," he adds, that obnoxious smirk on his face again.

I feel an unattractive snarl form on my face, but I don't bother to hide it. I give Yuki a hard, swift kick, spurring her into a gallop almost instantly. It isn't long before Yuki catches up with Sasuke's mare and I'm riding along side him. Sasuke glances over at me briefly before a smirk forms on his formerly blank face. _What is he thinking? _He turns his focus ahead of him again, and the rhythm of the mare's hooves increases slightly. As he pulls ahead of me, I give Yuki another kick, and she complies by speeding up to match the mare's pace again. _Ha, Sasuke. No matter how much you try to outrun me, I will always be able to keep up._

As I gloat inwardly, I notice Sasuke lean forward towards the mare's ear. I see him whisper briefly something that I cannot make out, and the mare's ears twitch back abruptly to hear him. Instantaneously, the mare's pace increases substantially, and she speeds ahead of me, gradually increasing the distance between us. I vainly try to quicken Yuki's pace, but she is at her limit. _He's not going to let me live this down. _Grumbling, I watch as the distance between me and Sasuke continues to grow.

I keep Yuki at the same pace, knowing that there is no use in pushing her past her abilities. I sigh unhappily; I really don't like losing, and the fact that I lost to Sasuke makes it about ten times worse. He really has this knack for rubbing things like this in your face. _Definitely one of his more endearing qualities. _

Suddenly, Sasuke's mare is brought to a smooth stop. The mare turns its body towards me, and I see Sasuke smirking triumphantly; he really is a pompous ass when it comes to winning. Rolling my eyes, Yuki gallops to the mare's side. As I gently pull her reins to stop her, I give him a menacing glare that doesn't faze him at all.

"You're pathetic," he comments casually.

"Well, you're a bastard," I snap lividly.

"Aa." _Great Buddha, he is so annoying!_

"I hate you sometimes, you know that?" I inform him tiredly.

As his nature dictates, he doesn't respond but nudges the mare into a relaxed walk. I lightly kick Yuki to get her into an easy walk, and she follows the mare's pace. There is a silence between us, and it is extremely awkward unlike the time in the cherry blossom grove. I shift uneasily in the saddle and try to break it with some conversation.

"So do you mind telling me were the hell we are going?" I inquire conversationally.

Sasuke doesn't reply; he doesn't even bother to look over at me to show that he is listening. _Well, that definitely worked…_

"How about a hint?" I suggest desperately.

Silence. I sink back disappointedly into my saddle, pouting like a small child that can't get her way. _He could at least say __**something**__. I wouldn't even mind an insult or a sarcastic remark; I would even welcome that grunt of his._ I glance at him in the corner of my eye, and he isn't even smirking; his face is totally devoid of any emotion, which is slightly unnerving. I avert my gaze back to Yuki's mane and stare blankly at it, ignoring Sasuke and everything else around me.

"Dismount," Sasuke suddenly ordered indifferently.

I wake up from my trance and tear my eyes away from Yuki's mane to look at him bemusedly. I notice that Sasuke was standing on the ground with the mare's reins in hand, waiting for me to obey him. I continue my observations by moving on to my surrounding that I had been oblivious to until now. To be honest, I had been expecting something amazing, spectacular even, but all I see is a lot of trees. _Why did he take us here…? It looks so…boring._

"Sakura," he calls a little sharply, breaking the cool tone he had been using.

I sigh and sit up out of the saddle, swinging out of it stiffly and landing on the ground with a thud. Sasuke without warning makes his way into the trees, and I quickly follow after him, my curiosity ever growing. However, the scenery does not change, and I feel my inquisitiveness slowly dwindle.

"Sasuke, are we there yet?" I whine, but he turns back quickly and glares at me, ceasing further complaints from me. _Great Buddha, he is in a bad mood. I was just asking._

Without a word, Sasuke grabs Yuki's reins from my hands and begins to tie up both horses. I watch him silently until he is done, and he then grabs my wrist, dragging me roughly behind him. I scowl at him for manhandling me, and I swear that I started boring a hole in his back with my glare. He doesn't take notice but continues to pull me along like some dog. _He could have just asked instead of towing me behind him like this._

This continues for who knows how long, but he eventually stops in his tracks, causing me to run right into him. I groan as I rub my forehead, but he silences me with another look. I settle for glaring at him, but it doesn't last for long as he direct me attention by pointing at something ahead of him. I peer around him and gasp with surprise; I definitely wasn't expecting this.

A small river with a slow-moving current flows close by us, and snow-white cranes balance gracefully in the clear, blue water, watching us regally from their spots amongst the reeds. Trees such as maples, black pines and Japanese plum trees surrounded the area as if to shield it from the world, making it like a secret world where only Sasuke and I existed. The petals on the plum trees floated gently to the ground, creating the appearance of slow falling snow. It was even more breath-taking than the cherry blossom grove outside the Uchiha estate. I manage to tear my eyes away from the scene before me to look back at Sasuke, a ridiculous grin on my face.

"Sasuke, it's so beautiful," I whisper thickly. "I've never seen anything like it. Do you come here often? I…"

"Sakura, shut up," he commands curtly as he releases my wrist and sits down in the grass.

I'm slightly taken aback, but then I become indignant as I sit down next to him. "Why the hell do I have to…?"

"Sakura," he says tiredly, not bothering to look at me, "you don't always have to fill silence with pointless babbling."

"I am not babbling," I object, quite disgruntled.

"You do all the time. It's a Lady Shizuka habit."

I open my mouth to protest, but I realize that he is right. I'm used to conversing with my customers about small, insignificant things so much that I tend to do it all the time. Sasuke turns his head slightly to look at me and smirks slightly at my expression.

"It's okay to sit and just be by someone's side, Sakura," he continues calmly, his eyes seeming to uncharacteristically light up with something I am unable to read.

I don't respond but think carefully about what he said. He is right; like at the cherry blossom grove, like right now, I am simply happy just to be sitting next to him, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. _I wonder if he feels the same…Ha, probably not. I bet he is just glad I finally shut up._ As discontent as I am about that idea, I push it aside and simply enjoy the moment with him, knowing that something will probably have us insulting each other quite soon.

Abruptly, Sasuke composedly leans toward me, and I feel my heart pounding erratically in my chest. My breath becomes short and uneven, and my face warms as a blush matches my face to my hair. _Is he going to kiss me? What do I do? _My body takes over, and I feel myself lean slowly towards him. _Great Buddha, I'm going to kiss him._ I close my eyes and anticipate his lips on mine.

I feel my body tremble at his slight touch, but it wasn't his lips that were touching mine. I open my eyes to see his hand on top of my head, brushing something away. I feel my blush redden as I realize he never intended to kiss me. I feel foolish and completely ridiculous for ever thinking that he would. _What would the great noble Uchiha Yoshitsune ever see in a girl like me? Why does it even matter? I wouldn't want a noble to ever feel like that for me…at least I think so._

"You have petals all over you," Sasuke comments languidly as he continues to brush them from my hair.

"Oh," I whisper quietly, dropping my head slightly while trying to hide the disappointment in my voice but failing miserably.

However, Sasuke doesn't seem to notice and finishes getting all the flowers out of my hair. He drops his hand down, but he stops near my cheek, pushing away the pink strands of hair away from my face. His touch is almost electric, and I muffle a gasp that wants to escape me. I quickly turn my head away to move way from his hand, to stop the torturous feeling that comes from his touch. Once again, he pays no attention to my reaction and stolidly turns his attention back to the cranes. _I really don't know if I can take much more of this, whatever "this" is._

I get up from the ground, deciding to leave, but I feel a hand wrap around my ankle and pull me back to the ground. I land ungracefully on my ass, and I glower at him menacingly as I start to feel pain. I hear a strange sound come from Sasuke, one that I've never heard before. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he had just laughed, but Sasuke doesn't laugh. _Did he seriously just laugh?_

"You aren't going anywhere," he informs me with a wide smirk on his face. "We had a deal. You're mine for today so you do what I want."

"So then what do you want?" I ask in annoyance.

"I want you here with me," he states impassively.

I'm shocked as his answer, but I force it aside, maintaining my annoyed expression. "I can't imagine why. I seem to just annoy the hell out of you."

"True," he agrees, "but the joy I get from mocking you and kicking your ass at everything makes it all worthwhile."

"Bastard," I hiss under my breath.

"Language," he warns with that damn smirk on his face.

I just roll my eyes at his response and lay back in the grass with an exasperated sigh. _He really is a pain in the ass. I can't imagine what made me feel how I did early. It was probably nothing._

I don't stay annoyed for long as we sit in a comfortable silence. The rays of sun bathe my body in warmth, and I feel quite relaxed laying here. I yawn loudly and close my eyes, shifting my weight slightly so that I lay in a more comfortable position. I hear a soft humming that must be coming from Sasuke; it is a tune that I don't recognize, but it soothes me nonetheless. Both the sun and Sasuke's quiet melody lull me into a light sleep full of dreams. Dreams about him.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, I updated a little sooner than I have been, but I'm not really that satisfied with the way this turned out. It didn't go exactly the way I had planned. I was kind of hoping this chapter would have more SasuSaku fluff in it, but every time I tried to write it, it just didn't fit. I kept having Sasuke say things that he would never say, and it just wasn't right. I do my best to keep him in character, but even in this final version, I'm not so sure I did the best job of that. sighs Oh, well! Any feedback is really appreciated. So, please review[They always make me smile and keep me motivated. 


	11. A Plead to Never Leave

I'd like to thank **MoonIdiot, Me want mochi, yourdarkdesire, MintiNeko, WiltingDaisies94, i.dance.in.the.rain, HoshikoK, slavetothekeyboard, Tenshi no Hana-chan, hellopanda23, xOxDragonsRainxOx, Fake Compassion, musagirl15, Laura-chan, haseo aurion, AngelFire Rei, izuko-chan, LuLuChild, peninhand9, sandwich-chan, xJediJainax, KonohaKunoichi93, yumekonekochan, Mittelan, Something and Trufflemix,** and **les-liaisons-dangereuses **for the reviews! I really appreciate them!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

My head that had been previously devoid of anything is suddenly filled with a dull roar. I open my eyes tiredly to stare up at the ceiling, trying to get my brain to function properly. The noise increases in volume until it is deafening, making it impossible to think of anything else. I shake my head, hoping that that would stop the infernal noise. _Argh! Why won't it just stop?_ As my head clears, I realize that the roaring in my ears is a muddled mix of hushed voices and shrill giggles. _Great Buddha, it is way too early for this. _

I slowly sit up to tell them to all go away, but a weight on my body keeps me down. I groan in annoyance and lift my head up to see whatever it is that is restricting me, propping myself on my elbows to keep myself steady. _Sasuke? _Sasuke is sitting there with his head resting on my stomach, sleeping. _What the hell?_ I feel the blood rush to my face as I watch him shift his weight slightly. _He's actually quite cute when he sleeps. Wait…what the hell am I thinking? Uchiha Sasuke? Cute?_ I feel a small smile form on my lips as he sighs almost inaudibly, only loud enough for me to hear.

"Yoshitsune-sama," I whisper reluctantly, not really wanting to disturb him.

Sasuke bolts up instantly and looks around the room dazedly for a moment as if trying to figure out where he is. A look of realization lights up his face as it seems to dawn on him that he is at the shirabyoshi house and that he had previously been sleeping on my stomach. He glances over at me through the corner of his eye, seeming to analyze my reaction carefully. I give him a soft smile before his eyes flick back towards the girls huddled around my door, and a disapproving scowl forms on his lips with a fearsome glare to match. Instead of intimidating them, it causes them to burst into another fit of giggles. Sasuke intensifies his glare to scare them off but to no avail.

"Go," he commands tonelessly, his expression never changing.

The girls scurry away immediately, their whispering and nervous laughing slowly fading as they make their way down the hall. I let out a deep sigh of relief and fall back down, my head dropping on the pillow with a muted thud. _Thank Buddha. I thought they would never leave. I guess I can't blame them though. It's not everyday that the famous Uchiha Sasuke is in your house… Speaking of which, what IS he doing here anyways?_

"So what are you doing here?" I ask him suddenly, breaking the silence by voicing my thoughts. "Why are we here anyways? I thought we were…"

"Annoying," he says under his breath.

_Why is he always saying that?! I am SO not annoying. _

"Geez, what's with the stick up your ass?" I ask sharply as I sit up again.

He turns his head and regards me coldly, trying to intimidate me. However, he doesn't really scare me right now, not like he normally does; I return his gaze easily. _I wonder how long this staring contest will go on. _I tap my fingers impatiently on my lap, and he notices this, causing his perfectly placid face to transform into snarl. _Oo, looks like Sasuke-kun is grumpy._ I shrug nonchalantly, feeling it too troublesome to deal with his moodiness right now. I let myself fall back down on the pillow and settle myself into a comfortable position so I can go back to sleep. I sigh contentedly and close my eyes, but they open almost instantly as something hits me square in the face. _What the hell was that?! Great Buddha that hurt! _

I glance down to see a sandal sitting near my face; I look back up to see one of Sasuke's feet missing a sandal. _He is SO going to get it! _I reach for the sandal and hurl it back at his face, but he simply leans to the left, dodging it easily. _How the hell did he dodge that? _I glare at him in annoyance, causing him to smirk triumphantly at me. _Damn it, stop smirking! Great Buddha, arrogant much?_

"Seriously, I really hate you. You know that?" I ask him with exasperation in my voice.

"Hn," he replies coolly, the sexy but infuriating smirk never leaving his face.

I groan tiredly at his worthless answer but realize I shouldn't have expected anything else. _This IS Sasuke after all. It's a miracle if he ever graces you with a sentence…_

It may be my imagination, but I swear I hear him mutter something. For the most part, it was unintelligible, but I thought I heard him say the word "annoying" again. _Am I really just a nuisance to him? A burden? Even with all that happened at that place in the forest Sasuke took me… Did that mean anything at all? Or was it just all my imagination? I guess it must have all just been in my head. _A strange, unexplainable pang in my chest causes me to wince slightly.

"Why don't you just leave?" I wonder aloud. _You seem like you don't want to be here at all. It seems like you have something better to do than to just sit here with me._

I can't imagine his facial expression, but I imagine it is completely inscrutable as always so I don't even bother looking up to see. Neither of us says anything for a while, and he doesn't ever answer my question. It doesn't matter anyways because his silence is enough. I get the message. _I guess I was right. Well, fine. He can just go. See if I care._

"I'll leave," Sasuke states abruptly. "You're just a pain in the ass anyways. So annoying." The pang increases sharply, forcing me to gasp quietly for a breath.

"Whatever. Just do what you want. If you just want to leave, then leave. I, on the other hand, could really care less." I inform him, forcing myself to act calmly. _Do I really not care? Does it really not matter?_

"Aa."

I hear him shift his weight, and he stands up instantaneously with a godlike grace. Without thinking, I glance over at him to see him tower above me, his dark eyes smoldering as he watches me intently for a brief moment. Something in his eyes makes me uneasy, and I shift my gaze to avoid his. Footsteps fade away from me until they disappear completely, and when I turn my head back to look at the place Sasuke stood, he is unsurprisingly he is gone.

_What is wrong with me? Every single time I'm with him, I feel this hurricane of emotions. He infuriates me, yet he can make my heart melt and also break it at the same time. Every single little thing he does just confuses me. What is this?_

"Sakura!" A loud voice blares from down the hall, startling me out of my pensive reverie.

I hear footsteps thunder down the hall and halt abruptly before my doorway. I raise my head up to see Tenten and Ino flying through the doorway into my room with Ino nearly falling on top of me if Tenten hadn't caught her. I stifle a chuckle as I watch them comically try to regain their balance, but my amusement fades as Ino, with her finally gained composure, places her hands on her hips and stares at me accusingly. _Uh oh, I think I'm in trouble. _

"Forehead, spill," she demands fiercely, her eyes lit with anger.

"What do you mean?" I ask, feigning innocence.

Ino rolls her eyes at me and groans, too impatient to deal with me being difficult. "Forehead, you know exactly what I mean. You aren't _that _stupid," she scoffs.

"Ino, I really have no idea…" I start again, a devious grin on my face.

"Sak-chan," Tenten says wearily, "just spill. Ino will never give up unless you do."

"What exactly do you want to know?" I inquire, done with the charade I had previously been keeping up.

"Well, you can start with where you went today," Ino suggests as she plops down beside me with Tenten following her lead.

I sit up slowly from my futon and begin to stare at the floor as I had done the ceiling not too long ago. "I was with Sasuke," I begin quietly, my voice practically inaudible.

"Well, duh," Ino remarks impatiently with exasperation clearly in her voice.

I glance up to see both their eyes watching me; Ino's gaze is filled with impatience while Tenten's is full of concern. "I felt guilty… About what I said to Sasuke," I continue slowly. "I went to apologize."

"And what did he say?" asks Tenten in a soft voice.

"He accepted my apology, but he said that I still owed him," I respond.

Ino reacts exactly how I expected her to. She stands up abruptly, her blue eyes shining intensely and her fists clenched. "That egotistical bastard! He still thinks that he owns you? I am going to hurt him so bad that he is going to regret ever hurting you!"

"Just calm down, Ino," Tenten pleads, tugging on the edge of her kimono to get her to sit back down. "Let Sakura finish her story."

Ino folds her arms across her chest and regards the both of us a moment. She huffily sits back down and throws me an expectant look, silently telling me to continue. I shake my head at her antics, and the edges of my mouth creep upward into a tiny smile. _I'm glad I have friends like Ino and Tenten who are willing to stand up for me like that. Even to the most powerful and sought after man in Heian._

"He said it was only for a day," I start after a few moments of quiet between the three of us. "I agreed, and he took me somewhere. I have no idea where, but it was beautiful. It seems like I am the first person he has ever taken there. It made me so happy."

I observe their reactions carefully, but their faces are passive as they wait for me to finish. "Then we just sat there, looking at the scenery. I was so happy, and for a moment, it seemed…it seemed like he truly wanted to be there…with me. I thought my heart was going to burst with the happiness I felt… But then when he was here, it seemed like he didn't want to be with me at all. It was like he had something better to do than be with me. It is…as if he is bored now that he has conquered me."

Ino begins to run her fingers through her long blonde hair; this is something she does when she is concerned or nervous. "Sakura…"

"What is it, Ino?" I ask warily, not sure if I will like what she has to say.

"You love him don't you?" She says with a sad smile.

_Love? _"Ino, that's…that's just ridiculous!" I cry abashedly, a deep flush spreading across my face turning it bright red. _Is it ridiculous? Is it really?_

"Ugh, forehead, you are so in denial!" Ino rolls her eyes in exasperation, her mood completely back to normal.

"Ino's right," Tenten agrees, finally speaking for the first time in a while.

"I do NOT love him," I hiss, but Tenten just shakes her head in amusement.

"Whatever you say, Sak-chan," Tenten complies as she stands up from her seat by my futon. She gives me an affectionate pat on the back before giving me a reassuring grin. She disappears through the doorway to my room, leaving me with Ino. I turn my gaze away from where Tenten once stood and look back at Ino.

"Just be careful, forehead," Ino sighs as she too stands up.

I simply nod distractedly, not really knowing how to respond. Ino gives me one last worried glance before stepping out of my room, leaving me to my thoughts. _Do I really love Sasuke? Did I really fall in love with a noble? Did I fall in love with an egotistical, controlling, heartless jerk? It would make sense. It would explain everything... Oh, great Buddha. I think I love Uchiha Sasuke. _

I lean forward and rest my hands in my face, trying to contain all my emotions and stop them from just spilling all out at once. _What am I going to do now? Knowing this, will I ever be able to face him again? No, I can't. I won't. It'll hurt too much. I don't know if I can be near him knowing that he doesn't want me. That he is better off with out me._

I bring a hand to my chest and clutch the fabric of my kimono in hopes of stopping the dull pain that filled it. I bite my lips as I try and hold back the tears that want to fall. _Sakura, get a hold of yourself. This is pathetic. All this hurt because of a noble isn't worth it. Great Buddha, just stop this! _However, I just start crying anyways, unable to be strong like I want. I just don't care anymore. I let myself sob quietly in my hands, my body heaving as I gasp for air.

Unexpectedly, I feel comforting arms wrap around me. I don't even have to look up to see who it is; I already know it is Tenten and Ino. I let them console me silently as I wallow in self-pity, something I rarely do. Normally, I'm stronger than that, but Sasuke was strong enough to break me and did exactly that. Now that he confirmed his strength, he simply left me, not even bothering to put things back together. I am just a burden to him now that he sees I am not strong enough for him.

"Shhh," Tenten soothes as she rubs my back in a motherly manner.

"Yeah, forehead, pull yourself together, okay? Your eyes will get all red and puffy from crying," Ino teases half-heartedly.

Her jibe works a little, causing me to let out a strangled guttural noise that is a cross between a sob and a laugh. "You definitely know how to make a person feel better, Ino," I quip, my voice still weak from crying.

"What can I say? It's a gift." Ino shrugs nonchalantly.

I brush the tears away from my eyes and grin at her and Tenten thankfully. They both always know how to make me feel better, not matter what it is. Ino and Tenten, upon seeing my small attempt at smiling, form sympathetic smiles to replace the looks of apprehension that had been there previously. Ino slings an arm around my shoulders and gives me a gentle squeeze, reassuring me a little.

"Thanks," I whisper to them.

"It's no problem, Sakura," Tenten assures me.

"You'll be okay now?" Ino questions me.

"Don't worry. I'm fine now. You don't have to stay any more."

"You sure?" Tenten asks suspiciously, not quite believing I'm telling the truth.

"Yes, I'm sure," I confirms stolidly, giving a definitive nod.

Ino and Tenten glance at each other unsurely for a brief moment before standing up again. They both turn their heads at the doorway to check on me one last time. I shoo them away with a flick of my hand, and with one last worried glance, they make there way out the doorway. Even though I am completely alone, I let out a sigh of relief. I feel much better thanks to my friends heartening presence. Now relaxed by their reassurance, I lay back down for a final to time, closing my eyes to fall back to sleep. _Everything will be all right. I'll be fine. _This is my last thought before I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

The following days moved like a blur. I forced myself to do chores and perform like always, pushing all thoughts of Sasuke out of my head as much as possible by keeping busy. For the most part, my plan pretty much works. A few times, my thoughts would wander to him, but I managed to ignore the pain and just push through it. I was just barely surviving, but I kept going, praying to Buddha to give me the strength to last.

I don't really know what day it is today. In my attempts at trying to forget, I lost track of everything else as well. All I know is that I, along with the other shirabyoshi, just performed at a theater in Heian. I don't know what exactly we performed, and I have no idea if I did the steps right. I don't even know if the audience liked it or not. I don't really care either. All I know is that Ino and Tenten are on either side of me, dragging me out the back door of the theater.

"Sak-chan, please, stop walking around like the living dead," Tenten grunts as she shifts her weight to support me better. "You've been doing this for days."

"Yeah, Sakura, what's up with you? You said you were fine, but this is anything but fine," Ino chides.

"I'm sorry," I murmur, not looking up at them to meet their upset expressions.

I hear Ino groan as she hears my apology. "Forehead, you don't have to apologize. We're just worried."

_Why am I such a burden to everyone? Why can't I be strong?_ My fists tighten instinctively as I feel frustration grow in me. _I'm tired of holding everyone back, and I'm tired of being protected. I need to get stronger! _My muscles in my body become tense as I become angrier with myself. I sense Tenten glance down at me curiously, watching me battle with myself viciously although she is unsure about what. Out of the corner of my eye, I barely notice she looks over my head at Ino, who probably doesn't have any better idea than she does.

I cease beating myself up as Ino and Tenten come to an abrupt halt beside me; their hold on my arms causes me to cease walking as well. I feel their grips on my arms tighten, and their bodies become tense from nervous anticipation. I turn my head and look at Ino to see her face blanch. _What is wrong? What are they so afraid of?_

"Damn it!" Tenten hisses angrily to herself. "This is not happening."

I pull my gaze away from Ino and turn to see what Tenten is referring to. I feel the blood drain out of my face as I recognize almost instantly what it is. _Sasuke. _My knees weaken and almost collapse underneath me, but Ino and Tenten keep me standing. _What is he doing here? Did he watch our performance?_

"What do you want?" Ino interrogates fiercely, glaring at him.

"Sakura," he answers calmly.

"You can't have her, you bastard!" Tenten snaps. "Not after what you have done to her."

I notice the impatience in his dark eyes as he stares back at my two defensive friends at my side. "Sakura, come here now," he orders in a regal but icy tone.

Without thinking, I step forward obediently, but I feel Ino and Tenten tug on my arms roughly, reeling me back beside them. _I am just letting him command me around like that! Great Buddha, what is wrong with me? _I shake my head slightly, hoping to rid myself of the control he apparently has on me. I let my eyes rest on his slightly perturbed expression and stare back at him with defiance. _You're just going to have to learn that you can't get everything you want, pretty boy._

"Sakura, come here now," he orders once again, his voice dangerously low as he enunciates each word. His eyes seem to flash a brilliant red color to reflect his anger at being disobeyed.

I fight back the urge to comply with his order and stand my ground stoutly. "Make me," I challenge. My voice isn't as confident as I would like it to sound, revealing that my demeanor is a façade.

Sasuke takes long strides closer to me with his eyes glowing like coals as he stares back at me. "Challenging me?" He wonders with that damn smirk on his face.

I nod firmly, never taking my eyes off of him. His smirk just widens as he regards me, most likely thinking I'm foolish. Without warning, Sasuke suddenly vanishes from my sight, and I scan the area bewilderedly to locate him again but without success. _Where the hell did he go? And how did he move so fast? _Unanticipatedly, I sense a presence behind me, and I feel a warm breath tickle my ear. It sends shivers down my spine, and my breath hitches, creating a struggle for me to resume breathing normally. _Why am I so scared? No, not scared. Excited?_

"Annoying," he whispers in my ear.

In one swift motion, Sasuke releases me from Tenten and Ino's grasp and swings me into his arms like a Western groom would his bride. I peek over his shoulder as he walks away from my friends to see their astonished faces; they never saw it coming. My instincts tell me to struggle, and I squirm in his arms in hopes of escape. His grip on me tightens, and I finally just give up on the hopeless action. _Oh, to hell with it. You know you like it that he's carrying you like this anyways. _I sigh in defeat as I listen to my inner self's reasoning, not even bothering to think how my mental stability should be questioned due to the fact that I'm talking to myself.

"Where are you taking me, Sasuke?" I ask as I glance up at him, my voice simply full of curiosity instead of anger or impatience as it normally would be.

He remains silent as his gaze is completely focused ahead of him. I grimace slightly at this, reprimanding myself for expecting anything more than that. "Fine, be an ass and don't answer me," I pout.

I see a smirk break the aloofness that had formerly masked his face. I inhale sharply as I feel my heartbeat quicken in my chest. Sasuke tilts his head down and scrutinizes my reactions carefully. A blush reddens my cheeks as I meet his gaze so I hurriedly avert my gaze to the ground. _Why can't I just get over him? If I could just forget the way he makes me feel, I wouldn't hurt so much when he leaves me._

Sasuke ceases his movement abruptly and carefully sets me down. I shift my weight back in attempts to step away from him, but he swiftly grabs my arms, keeping my body close to his. His eyes capture my gaze, and I completely forget all ideas I had of running away. My heart starts beating erratically again, and it is drumming so loud in my ears I wonder if Sasuke can hear it. My knees start to buckle as I feel his warm breath on my face as his face gradually nears mine, but he supports me without any effort. _Why am I so weak?_

"Oi, bastard!" A loud voice calls out.

Annoyance flashes across Sasuke's face, and right away, he releases my arms from his tight grasp. He turns around quickly to face whoever the source of the voice is, and I peer around Sasuke's tall form to investigate myself. I find Uzumaki Naruto, adopted son of Jiraiya and self-proclaimed future emperor of Japan, standing in front of us and glaring at Sasuke accusingly. _What is Uzumaki-sama doing here?_

"What is it, idiot?" Sasuke sneers, causing Naruto to tighten his hands into fists.

"I am not an idiot, you bastard!"

"Ch, annoying," Sasuke replies, his voice betraying how obviously vexed he is.

"Whatever, bastard," Naruto retorts. "But believe it or not, I didn't come here to get insulted by you. I'm here to save Shizuka-chan."

I raise an eyebrow, quite mystified why Naruto would be coming to save me. I open my mouth to ask, but Sasuke beats me to it. "Why does she need to be saved by you?"

"You are just using her, that's why, you bastard!" Naruto cries out heatedly. "I know you too well! You just like lording over people and ordering them around like they are your property!"

Naruto's words hit me as if I had been punched in the stomach. _Of course, how could I forget? I let myself get trapped by him; I just set myself up to get hurt all over again. Why am I so stupid and so damn weak? Great Buddha, what the fuck is wrong with me? Am I a masochist or something? _I step back from Sasuke in another attempt to flee from him, but his hand quickly snatches my wrist and pulls me roughly to his side. I indignantly kick him in the leg, but he acts as if he didn't even feel it and keeps the firm grip on my wrist.

"Let her go, bastard! Can't you see she want you to leave her alone?!" Naruto shouts, his hand now placed on his katana menacingly.

Sasuke smirks amusedly at Naruto's threatening gesture. "Are you really going to fight me over this, Naruto?"

"Of course," Naruto declares as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. "Ino-chan asked me to protect one of her precious people, and I'm not going to break my promise."

_Ino?_ I smile gently as I think of my friend doing all she can to protect me, but her name has the opposite effect on Sasuke. His smirk transforms into a frown as he contemplates Naruto's statement.

"She should just mind her own business," Sasuke says coldly. "You should, too."

"Shut up, bastard! We have a right to try and help our friends when they need it!"

"The only way I will leave Sakura alone is if that is what she says she wants," Sasuke states immovably.

"Sakura?" Naruto blurts out, quite baffled. "Who's that?"

Sasuke turns his dark eyes towards me, and Naruto's bright blue ones follow shortly. Naruto's mouth forms an "O" as realization spreads across his face. They both watch me expectantly, waiting for me to give them my decision. My eyes dart back and forth from Naruto's to Sasuke's face, totally unsure of what to say. _What do I want? If I go with Naruto, I'll just be able to forget all about Sasuke and how much it hurts to just be near him. Do I really want to forget, though?_

Finally after a tense silence, I find the words to speak. "Does it even matter what I want, Sasuke? I thought you were the one who wanted to leave. Aren't I just an annoyance? A nuisance? A burden?" My voice is thick as I try to hold back my tears, but I continue. "I'm not strong enough for you, am I, Sasuke? You don't want me because I'm too weak. Isn't that right?"

"Stop babbling," Sasuke orders curtly as he interrupts me. "It's annoying." I close my mouth obediently and drop my eyes to the ground. "And stop assuming things about me. That's annoying, too."

Before I can retaliate with the clever insult I had formulated, I feel a gentle pressure on my lips. I blink rapidly a few times, unsure of what exactly is happening. I dazedly try to focus my eyes, and with some effort, I realize Sasuke has his lips on mine. I feel warmth flow through my body that I have never felt before, and I sigh contentedly at the feeling. I feel him smirk against my lips before he pulls away much too soon for my liking.

I raise my hand to touch my lips, trying to process everything. It wasn't anything like how I imagined Sasuke would kiss. It was soft and chaste, not rough and possessive like I had come to believe. His lips had barely moved against mine, when I had expected him to ravish me to stake his claim. _What is this supposed to mean?_

"Sasuke?" I ask breathily.

"Hn," he replies to neither Naruto's nor my surprise.

"Don't leave me," I whisper so softly that I am not sure if he heard me.

For a while, it seems like he didn't as I stare up at him silently. Naruto stands tensely in his place, appearing to anticipate a cutting remark from Sasuke towards me. "You're mine, Sakura,"Sasuke answers finally. "I don't ever intend to."

* * *

**A/N:** I'm so sorry that I took such a long time to post this and that it isn't very good! Not only have I been really busy, but I've been having a horrible case of writer's block. It's not so much that I don't know where I want the story to go, but it is just I am having a really hard time keeping everyone in character. It's kind of frustrating. I should probably go back and read the manga again. I haven't done that in a while, so that would probably help. Anyways, please review and tell me what you think because I love your guys' reviews[Constructive criticism is welcome, too. So, yeah. That is all for now. Until the next update[Which I promise will be much sooner! 


	12. A Meeting that Tears Them Apart

Window-shopping

I'd like to thank **i.dance.in.the.rain** (Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. By the way, checked out your fic and loved it . I hope you update soon.)**, musagirl15, hellopanda23 **(No, their love isn't forbidden. It's just not looked well upon.)**, Emo Vampire Princess Bella, KonohaKunoichi93, Mittelan **(Haha, yeah it was kinda corny. Oops! xD) **, LifesABitchToMe, TennantFangirl, freak a geek, sandwich-chan, bo0bahh, AngelFire Rei, Tenshi no Hana-chan, cutebutwierdlucy18, Me want mochi, Laura-chan **(They got back from the meadow because Sasuke carried her. I met to mention that somewhere, but I kinda forgot. Whoops. ;) **, JunJun1990, Poison's Ivy, FakeCompassion, sakurasaskeromancelover, nekokigin, **and **Moongoddess97 **for the reviews! Your reviews are what keep me motivated, and I appreciate them so much!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of the characters.

Window-shopping.

"I like the one in the middle. She definitely looks like a good fuck."

Conspiring.

"Why don't you just go up and ask her and her friends to come and…entertain us? We could do with some fun, couldn't we boys?"

Assuming.

"I bet they've slept with half the men in Heian by now."

Insulting.

"What whores! They are such a disgrace. I would never do something like that."

Scrutinizing.

"What has the world come to? Young ladies running around in men's clothing? It just isn't decent."

Gawking.

"Did you see that? I've never seen one before. They are so eccentric. Look at those clothes! And that hair!"

Praising.

"Did you see that performance last night? Spectacular."

Just your typical, everyday buzz in the streets of Heian.

I roll my eyes and sigh tiredly as I walk down the street with Tenten and Ino on either side of me in full shirabyoshi garb. _Great Buddha, this is so old. I should be used to it by now, but it is still so damn annoying. _I notice everyone's eyes practically glued to us as we pass by, examining our every action. I ignore the constant scrutiny and look up to the clear, blue sky to keep myself from screaming. The whispers get harder to ignore as time goes on, and the urge to scream never dissipates.

"Why can't they talk about something actually worth listening to?" Ino drawls in a bored voice. "I'm tired of just listening to all the stuff they make up about us."

"I know what you mean," Tenten agrees. "They are sorely lacking in originality these days."

I nod in agreement. "I really just want to tell them all to shut up."

Ino shrugs and lightly brushes away a strand of hair away from her face. "Don't we all?"

We continue meandering lazily down the street in silence after we had accepted for probably the millionth time that this was the way things were going to be. I decide to just put thoughts like that aside and relax; this is the first time we've had any spare time in a long time. Nobody has requested a performance from us in ages, so we've been free to do as we like for the past couple of days. I've spent the past days as I am right now; I've been hanging around with Ino and Tenten, doing nothing productive at all.

"So did you hear about Nara-sama?"

Surprised, I turn my head slightly to find the source of the voice. I see a middle-aged woman leaning over conspiratorially to the ear of the woman selling flowers at the street corner. A small smile forms on my lips as I quicken my pace at the prospect of new information, and no doubt leaving a confused Ino and Tenten lagging behind. As subtly as possible, I walk up to a nearby bunch of flowers on display while keeping a fairly good distance. I lean over and take a deep breath of the flower's light fragrance.

"Of course!" The flower woman exclaims, seemingly offended that someone would think she didn't know. "Who hasn't? The fact that he and that noblewoman from Shiga are engaged."

_Nara Shikamaru is engaged to someone from Shiga?! Great Buddha, who the hell is it?!_

"Did you know that the parents arranged it?" The other woman inquires.

"No, but I'm not surprised. What any woman in her right mind would willingly marry a lazy man like him? Even Sabaku Temari, who is more eccentric than most, has more sense than that." The flower woman nods knowingly, crossing her arms stoutly as if daring the other woman to contradict her.

_He's marrying Sabaku Temari? Who would have thought? I didn't think Nara Shikamaru would marry anyone because of how "troublesome" it is to have a wife. And Temari seems like she would be the most "troublesome" to him. She is so independent and headstrong; I don't know how he is going to handle it._

I lift my head up to see the two women eyeing me curiously, probably wondering why I am lingering there. I smile at them winningly and grab a small handful of flowers I had been pretending to examine. Reaching into my purse, I pull out a few coins and hand them to the suspicious, old flower woman, who eyes the money with careful consideration before pocketing it. I hurriedly walk away from the pair, back to Ino and Tenten who had taken residence under a nearby tree to shelter them from the sun. Ino raises her eyebrows expectantly, waiting for me to report on my findings. I wince slightly, knowing that the news will hurt her. _Ino is definitely not going to like this. _I sit down beside them tentatively, and I delay informing them by staring at the flower I had purchased.

"So what did you manage to hear, forehead?" Ino nags impatiently.

"I was getting to that, pig, before you interrupted me," I snap, twiddling the stems in my fingers nervously. _Well, here goes. _"Apparently…" I pause for a brief moment, losing what little nerve I had gathered.

"Apparently what?" Ino presses.

I take a deep breath before continuing, lifting my gaze to meet her eager one. "Apparently, Nara Shikamaru is…" I see Ino lean forward excitedly at the sound of his name, and I grimace as I look at the silly smile she has on her face. _That definitely won't last long. That's for sure. _"Well…" _Great Buddha, just spit it out! _"He's engaged," I manage to blurt out quickly.

Ino's glowing expression instantly transforms as it becomes apparent at how crestfallen she feels. "Engaged?" She whispers. "To who?"

"Sabaku Temari," I reply quietly as I avert my eyes to the flowers in my hand.

It is silent, and I look up to examine Ino's face. It's hard to tell exactly what she is feeling now; there are so many emotions on her face that it is hard to interpret them exactly. I glance over at Tenten, who shoots me a worried look before turning her attention back to Ino. Tenten places a reassuring hand on Ino's shoulder, but Ino instantly brushes it away. Ino brings her eyes up to look at mine and then at Tenten's, and a weak smile replaces the frown she had previously been wearing.

"I'm fine, guys," Ino insists, not really convincing either of us.

"Ino…" I say warily, but she cuts me off.

"No, seriously. It's just one man. There are plenty of other sexy nobles out there." Ino grins slyly, earning a groan from Tenten and me.

_Typical Ino._

"You certainly got over that fast," Tenten remarks.

"What are we going to do with you, Ino?" I groan.

Ino doesn't respond but simply grins at us happily, clearly now over the news of Shikamaru's engagement. Her happiness is contagious, and I can't help but smile back at her despite my doubts. _I had thought she was really serious about this one. I guess not. Ino will be Ino after all._ Apparently, Ino's mood had an effect on Tenten too because she lets out a tiny giggle. Pretty soon, we are all on the ground, laughing our heads off and clutching our stomachs. I barely notice through the tears all the people that are watching us disgrace ourselves, but I really could care less.

After a few minutes, I finally manage to suppress my laughing fit and breathe properly. However, a ridiculous grin is still plastered on my face even though my laughter has stopped. I sit up to look at Ino and Tenten to find them already sitting up with similar expressions on their faces. I let a content sigh escape my lips as I lift my eyes up to the sky again. _Life is good. It all seems too perfect, almost dreamlike. It'll all probably come to end soon enough. Might as well enjoy this while it lasts._

My pensive state is ruined by a gentle thud beside me, surprising all three of us. I glance over to find familiar, muscular figure sitting there, and I smile widely. _Sasuke! _I resist the urge to pull him into a hug and settle for placing my hand on his. He simply directs his eyes over towards me briefly without saying a word; I've gotten used to this type of behavior over the past couple of days and don't call him out on it as much. After a brief moment, I pull my hand away, knowing that any longer would create some new stories to be circulated in Heian.

"Yoshitsune-sama, what are you doing here?" Ino asks for all of us politely, her tone still bubbly and bright even as she puts on her shirabyoshi façade.

"It's not your business," Sasuke states curtly, not even gracing her with eye contact.

"Of course not, Yoshitsune-sama," Tenten drawls slightly, even though I'm sure she meant to hide it. Tenten has always been the least accepting of Sasuke; she still thinks that he is going to cause me more pain than happiness.

"Come now, Yoshitsune-sama," I plead with undertones of mocking. "It's such a lovely day. It would be a shame to ruin it with your foul mood."

Sasuke turns his head towards me to glare at me in annoyance, and I grin in response. "I hate that," he states coolly. "You know that."

"Hate what, Yoshitsune-sama? Formalities? They may be tedious, but we should not ignore them simply because they require a little more effort."

"Sakura." _Ok, I will admit his voice was really scary just then. But sexy. _

"Fine, fine. I won't call you Yoshitsune-sama. Then what shall I call you instead?" I ask.

"Hn," he grunts as all evidence of his previous intensity vanishes.

"What do you think about me calling you Sasu-chan?" I inquire brightly, trying to look completely serious.

Sasuke barely winces at the name but doesn't say anything, and I smirk. "No? What about Sasu-hime?"

Sasuke's fists tighten, and I bite my lip to fight back a laugh. _He defiantly didn't like that one. _I lean over and bring my lips to his ear as I whisper huskily, "What about Sasuke-kun?"

If I didn't know any better, I would say that I heard Sasuke mutter something under his breath, but I know better. _It was just my imagination. _Sasuke turns his head to face me, and my eyes meet his smoldering, dark ones, making my breath hitch. Without even thinking, I lean closer to him, hoping to touch my lips to his. A cough makes me jerk back and realize that we are not alone. _Damn it! _Had I proceeded, I would have given not just Ino and Tenten, but all of Heian a free show. Although grateful, I am still perturbed, and I turn to give an amused Ino and Tenten a glare. _As much as I am opposed to having a crowd watching me, I really wish they hadn't interrupted. I haven't kissed Sasuke since that time outside the theater. Actually, we've barely even held hands since then. _

"I think someone is mad that we interrupted," Tenten whispers to Ino with a mocking smile.

"Oh, shut up," I snap surlily, causing Ino and Tenten to giggle.

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that, forehead," Ino implores me. "You didn't really expect us to just sit here while you both eat each other's faces off, did you?"

"Pig!" I warn with my voice dangerously low.

"But hey, it would have been a pretty good show. Probably would have brought a good sum with all these people around."

Tenten lets out a strange grunt as she tries to stifle a laugh. She brings up her hand to her mouth and pretends to clear her throat, but I see past her act. Ino's taunting smirk goads me to react, but I bite my lips to keep myself from saying anything. _I will NOT let Ino pull me into her childishness. _Tenten is now shaking in silent laughter; her shoulder moving violently as she tries to hold in the sound of her obvious mirth. I scowl at her briefly before turning my attention back to Ino to stare back at her defiantly. She matches my intense gaze with a victorious smile on her face. She knows me well enough to know that a come back is on the tip of my tongue.

_Great Buddha, I can't take this any more. I am so going to get back at Ino. _I open my mouth to retaliate, but Sasuke's impassive voice stops me. "Leave," he commands.

Ino drops her mouth open in disbelief that he would just blatantly boss her around. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

Sasuke turns his head to face her and gives her an unnerving stare that makes Ino drop her gaze timidly. _Yeah, Ino is right. Who the hell do you think you are? You have no right to be a total ass to my friends. Sure, Ino was being annoying, but she was just being Ino. _I reach over and smack Sasuke hard in the arm, earning me the privilege of his scary gaze. Not wanting to admit how much it is making me uncomfortable, I simply roll my eyes at him, pretending to simply be annoyed.

"Sasuke, be nice to her," I order, ignoring the perturbed expression on Sasuke's face that he gets when I try to tell him what to do. "She was just teasing."

"You're telling _me _what to do?" He asks in scornful disbelief.

"Yes, I am," I confirm, nodding my head.

Sasuke raises his eyebrows as he processes my answer. "_Nobody _tells an Uchiha what to do."

"Well, I just did. What now, bitch?" I challenge.

"Annoying," he states aloofly, not allowing his noble self to be provoked by me.

_Great Buddha, I wish he would stop saying that. I am not annoying!_

"You're the annoying one," I retort pathetically, crossing my arms indignantly.

"You guys bicker like an old married couple," Ino comments, gaining back her courage that she had previously lost under Sasuke's intense glare.

This earns her another sharp look from Sasuke, and she shudders slightly while averting her eyes somewhere else. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose tiredly, getting quite frustrated with Sasuke's whole frigid bastard act. _Seriously, would it kill him to be nice? _I look over at him to see the vexed scowl on his face and roll me eyes. _I guess it would. _Ino gathers up her courage again and sticks her tongue out at him immaturely. I chuckle at her antics, and Tenten lets a small smile escape her, despite the fact that Sasuke's presence makes her anxious.

Abruptly, Sasuke gets to his feet, surprising the three of us. I don't have much time to be confused because Sasuke snatches my hand and yanks me to my feet. Before I know it, he is dragging me down the street away from Ino and Tenten. _What the hell is this boy doing? _I look over my shoulder to see them still sitting there and staring with bewildered expressions. I shrug, indicating I don't know anymore than they do; Tenten responds to that with a disapproving glance towards Sasuke, showing her apparent distrust. _Sorry, guys. I'll explain later when I figure out what the hell is going on. _I send them an apologetic glance before turning my head to look at the back of Sasuke's head. _I know he hates it when I mention it, but his hair REALLY looks like a bird's ass from here._

"Sasuke, what the hell is up with you?" I interrogate, noticing all the confused stares that we are receiving has he pulls me down the street.

"Hn," he replies aloofly.

"Oh, no. Your one-answer-fits-all is not going to work this time. Explain. _Now_."

"An Uchiha doesn't take orders," he informs me. "He gives them."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," I quip.

"Well, why would I take orders from a weak woman like you?" He wonders without a single trace of emotion in his voice.

I cease moving my feet, causing Sasuke to stop as well and turn around to look at me. _He did NOT just say that to me. What the hell is his problem? I thought we had gotten past the whole "I-am-superior-to-you-because-I-am-male-and-a-strong-noble-that-you-will-never-beat" complex. _I jerk my hand away from him and glower at him heatedly, irate that he still thinks I am something he can just order around and lord over. _He'll never change. I was stupid to think that he did. _I quickly turn on my heel and start to stride away from him, not even bothering to explain.

I feel a hand on my shoulder trying to stop me, but I push it away roughly. "Don't touch me," I growl, not even turning to look at him.

I continue walking again, but his voice stops me this time. "Sakura."

"Don't talk to me," I dictate fiercely as I begin stomping away from him for the third time.

I feel a hand seize my wrist, and I twist my arm to release it from his grip. However, his grip is viselike, and so I pull wildly in desperation, hoping that my frantic movements will free me. My flailing seems to be more of an annoyance than anything, and Sasuke merely tightens his grip on me slightly to get me to stop. When I stop, he tugs on my arm forcibly and brings me close to him so that our faces are just inches apart. He doesn't say anything for a while and simply stares down at me. His warm breath is on my face, and I feel my knees wanting to give out; however, I manage to keep myself steady. I try to pull away, but his hold on me won't let me.

"I've never listened to you before, Sakura," he reminds me with that damn smirk on his face. "I'm not about to start now."

A strange feeling overwhelms me, and my mind stops functioning properly. _What was I mad about again? _I feel my breath quicken to a ragged pace, and my heart is beating erratically in my chest. Whatever it is that is in his eyes seems to intensify until they are smoldering. _What is wrong with me? Why is it when he says stuff like this that I get all flustered?_ _I'm supposed to me mad, right?_ _I can't remember what I was mad about though. This is so not fair. He is trying to mesmerize me. He has the sexiest eyes ever, and he damn well knows it._

"You're cheating," I inform him breathily, amazingly forming a coherent, complete sentence.

"Aa," he says in response with his smirk getting wider, obviously aware of his effect on me.

_This isn't fair at all. How come he has so much effect on me, but I do nothing to him at all?_

Slightly frustrated by this realization, I lean forward to capture his lips, praying for some sort of reaction from him. Sasuke doesn't grace me with any expression or reaction; he simply sits there and doesn't try to stop me. My lips almost touch his, but I stop as I notice a dark shadow looming above us. I pull back away from Sasuke's face and turn to see the figure beside us. _Great Buddha! Two Sasukes?_ I dismiss that idea almost instantly; upon closer inspection, it is pretty obvious that the figure standing before us isn't another Sasuke. _They DO look a lot alike though. They are obviously related. _He is taller than Sasuke to start and has longer hair that is pulled back. The way they carry themselves is different as well; they both have grace, but this man's is a quiet, but almost menacing type of grace.

"Why hello, little brother," the Sasuke look-a-like (_sort of_) greets genially. "Are you going to introduce me to the beautiful lady who is gracing your company?"

_Duh, I should have realized it was Sasuke's brother. What was his name again? Oh, right, Yoritomo. What was it that Sasuke called him that one time…? Itachi. That's it._

I feel a blush rise to my cheeks unexpectedly at the compliment, and I drop my gaze down to my feet abashedly. Noticing this, Sasuke takes a small step forward, putting himself between Itachi and me. I raise my eyes back up to look at Sasuke to find his stance protective and all the muscles in his body tense. _What is it about Itachi that is making Sasuke so nervous? I've never seen him like this before. _I crane my neck around Sasuke's tall figure to get a better look at Itachi's reaction to his brother's hostility and see that Itachi is merely amused by his brother's reaction. _I wonder what the deal is between these two._

"You're being quite rude, little brother," Itachi reprimands coolly. "You should have more respect for your older brother."

Sasuke glares at Itachi furiously and remains silent for a moment before replying. "Shizuka."

"Was that so hard?" Itachi asks lightly, completely ignoring his ill-tempered brother.

"Just get away from me, you bastard," Sasuke growls, shifting his weight into a stance indicating his intentions to attack.

I place a gentle hand on his shoulder, and I feel the muscles almost instantly tighten at my touch. For minute, I think he is going to hit me, but his body relaxes after he establishes that it is me touching him. _Calm down, Sasuke. _I turn my attention to Itachi, who is looking at the two of us with great interest as well as bemusement. I ignore his blatant examination of us and reassuringly give Sasuke's shoulder a squeeze. He lets my hand sit there for a second before shaking it off as Sasuke typically would.

"Interesting," Itachi observes.

"What is?" I ask curiously, earning me a dirty look from Sasuke that said "don't encourage him".

"Sasuke allowing displays of affection. It's so unlike him. Not to mention this is the first time I've ever seen him show an interest in women. For the longest time, I thought him to be asexual. Or gay."

A giggle escapes me when I hear this. I remember not too long ago I had also theorized the possibility of Sasuke being gay and having a male concubine. Sasuke isn't exactly happy at my reaction, and I grimace apologetically at him, shrugging. _I really don't get why Sasuke is being like this. Itachi doesn't seem all that bad. He is a little intimidating, but he is quite polite and not a total ice cube like his brother. Also, he is quite handsome. Not anything like Sasuke, of course, but still._

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke interrogates abruptly in a dangerously calm voice. _He is definitely forcing that. _"Are you just here to patronize me?"

"I simply thought it was such a nice day that I should take a stroll," Itachi supplies casually.

"Liar," Sasuke hisses bitterly.

Itachi brings a hand to his heart dramatically, pretending to be hurt by this accusation. "You hurt me, little brother. Why would I ever lie?"

Sasuke's eyes narrow accusingly at this question. "You are looking for a whore to fuck because you're a horny bastard that can't wait until the wedding night." _Why would Yoritomo do something like that? I thought he was quite fond of his fiancée…No, wait. _

"I never knew you had such a poor opinion of me, little brother," Yoritomo

"Well, now you do."

Itachi glances over Sasuke to direct his gaze at me. "I'm sorry that you have to witness our bickering, Lady Shizuka. If it weren't for my foolish little brother, I would have gladly offered you more suitable conversation."

"Don't talk to her, Itachi," Sasuke warns.

"Well, well, it looks like my little brother is serious about this one," Itachi muses. "Such a shame. You're a pretty little thing. I might just have to steal you for myself."

"Fuck off, bastard."

Itachi gave a small sigh as he shook his head at Sasuke. "Well, it is quite obvious that it is impossible to have a civilized discussion with you right now. You really need to learn to control that temper, Sasuke."

Sasuke clenches his hands into tight fists, and it looks like the circulation is being cut off. Itachi's face remains calm as he watches his brother's blood boil, apparently used to his brother's complete disdain for him. Itachi simply nods to his brother in farewell and brushes past him towards me, unexpectedly making me nervous. Instinctively, I take a step back away from him, dismissing the amiable thoughts I previously had of him. Before I can object, he picks up my hand and lifts my hands to his mouth, briefly brushing his lips on my knuckles. I feel a shiver run down my spine, but it's definitely not the good kind like I feel around Sasuke. Fear and anxiety seize my entire body, and I simply stare at Itachi with wide eyes. _I feel so frightened, but I don't know why._

Before Sasuke can respond, Itachi drops my hand and saunters down the street into the crowd of bustling people. I watch him until he disappears completely, and I then turn my eyes back to Sasuke, who is not even bothering to hide the fact that he is seething. I reach out unsurely, offering him my hand, and much to my surprise, he hurriedly takes mine in his own. He doesn't look at me or our intertwined hands, but he simply keeps his eyes glued on where Itachi had disappeared from view. I worriedly give Sasuke's hand a small squeeze, unsure of what to say or do to help him.

"Are you okay?" I whisper unsurely.

Sasuke looks at me, his eyes totally unreadable, and releases his hold on my hand. "Hn."

I look at him unsurely, unable to translate his grunt into a yes or a no. He finally brings his obsidian eyes to meet mine, and I notice a sort of pain in his eyes. _No, he isn't okay. _The emotion vanishes as quickly as it came, trying to hide his feelings from me. Had I not been watching him so closely, I would have missed it like he had intended. A wave of sympathy washes over me as well as a feeling of helplessness; I have no idea how to save him from his inner demon. _What can I do, Sasuke? I want to help you so badly; I want to help you get through this. Whatever this is._

I do the only thing I can think of; I tug on Sasuke's arm, pulling him into me. I slowly wrap my arms around him, and I feel him stiffen in my embrace. He doesn't hug me back, but he simply rests his head on my shoulder, practically sagging in my arms. We stand there for a little while, not even caring about the curious eyes staring at us. I rub small circles around his back, hoping to comfort him in some way.

"Sasuke," I say gently, "please tell me what's wrong. I want to help."

My voice seems to wake him up, and he pushes me roughly away so that we are a good distance apart. Everything about him is guarded, clearly sending the message to keep away. I take a step forward, reaching out for him, but he evades me and takes a step back. I feel hurt by this, but I don't show it, doing my best to keep a stoic expression on my face. Giving me one last look, Sasuke turns his back to me and makes his way down the street. _Why won't you let me help you? Why are you just walking away from me?_

Sasuke turns his head to look over his shoulder as he walks and says, "You can't help, Sakura. No one can."

A/N: Well, hello again! So, this chapter is different than the other ones, but I actually like how it turned out. It is kind of random, and Sasuke isn't really in character. Don't worry, though. Sasuke will be more in character in the next chapter. Scout's honor! XD So anyways, please review and tell me what you think!


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